NBA players think their NFL counterparts would embarrass themselves on the hardwood. NFL players think basketball stars wouldn’t last a drive on the gridiron.
Former professional athletes have traded barbs on social media this week after a controversial comment from former Wizards guard Austin Rivers, who played 14 seasons in the NBA.
“I can take 30 players right now in the NBA and throw them in the NFL,” Rivers, whose father is Milwaukee Bucks coach Doc Rivers, said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “You cannot take 30 NFL players and put them in the NBA.”
The comments drew widespread condemnation on social media from fans and former players who highlighted the physical toll of an NFL game.
“You don’t got a job in either right now,” five-time Pro Bowler J.J. Watt wrote on X. “Go head and try it.”
Rivers has not officially retired from the NBA, but he is currently a free agent. The 31-year-old last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2023.
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons went viral in April after saying he could average 20 points per game in the NBA.
“I always said I’d be lucky to hit a three or a two,” Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud said in response. “[Parsons] is a Cowboy. He’s naturally delusional.”
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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