Most people don’t know this but NFL Pro Bowl tight end Tony Gonzalez tested out a professional basketball career.
Gonzalez spent three years playing basketball at the University of California, contributing to the same team that eventual NBA All-Star Shareef Abdur-Rahim headlined.
But the focus of this cross-sport battle jumps ahead, out of the midd 1990s and into 2002. That’s when Gonzalez, at the age of 26, participated on the Miami Heat’s summer league team. Although he was never a true standout, Pat Riley, then the team’s head coach, said the 6’5″ Gonzalez could have enjoyed a future in the Association.
Something nevertheless tells us made the right call plying his trade in the NFL for 17 years.
