NFL icon Patrick Mahomes expresses admiration for Lakers’ LeBron James, but names retired NBA star as favorite player

Following the retirement of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers legendary star Tom Brady, the Kansas City Chiefs starter Patrick Mahomes is showcasing every potential to establish himself as the Next GOAT of the NFL. Before getting drafted into the league, he had been a basketball player as well.

Heading to the NBA world, the Los Angeles Lakers veteran might be the hot favorite star among basketball fans, albeit Mahomes stands out in the crowd. While the Chiefs team is struggling with their offense heading to the new season, the two-time MVP recalled his favorite star from the NBA.

Patrick Mahomes discloses Carmelo Anthony is his favorite NBA player

Pat took the name of the ex-basketball star Carmelo Anthony over the NBA’s all-time leading scorer when he was asked to reveal his favorite basketball player growing up. Carmelo led the Denver Nuggets to their first appearance in the Western Conference Finals back in 2009, and the Chiefs signal-caller said how he was going against the trend by supporting the retired veteran over Lebron that time.

“At that time, I was a Carmelo Anthony fan. I was going the other way. You had LeBron. Everybody was a LeBron fan, I loved LeBron, but at the same time, I wanted to have that guy, Denver Nuggets, him shooting the Melo, the three sign on the side of the head. He goes to the Knicks and so I was a big Carmelo fan growing up.”

However, except for that trip to the Western Conference Finals, Melo never became successful in paving the way for his squads past the second round of the playoffs. Nevertheless, besides Kansas City’s 27-year-old dual-threat, the Toronto Raptors ex-player Will Barton has also recently named Anthony as a top 15 player of all time.

“Crazy handle, mid-range shooting, getting to the rim, first step was quick. If we going off just eye test of basketball, it ain’t 15 other guys that I’ve ever seen that were better than him”, Barton said.

Melo recorded 24.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.1 steals along with 0.5 blocks per game throughout his seven-and-a-half seasons with the Nuggets before concluding his Denver’s journey on a sour note.

Patrick Mahomes used to play basketball before football

Before fully devoting himself to the world of national football, Mahomes turned heads by showcasing incredible dunking, dropping dimes, and hitting shots. He played as a point guard in high school.

A clip from 2019 featured the two-time MVP showing off some phenomenal ball-handling skills before cutting through some defenders on the way and making a smooth move to the hoop with a perfect finishing.

The video went viral, albeit the consequence was negative for the signal-caller as the Chiefs GM Brett Veach reached out to the QB1’s agent to ensure Pat would never play football again. For Kansas City’s fans, this move might be quite relieving as their favorite star would remain fully committed to the football world. As Mahomes is about to charter on his seventh season in the NFL, it is safe to say a basketball career is nowhere on his atlas.

Do you think that the Chiefs made the right decision by forcing Mahomes to cut ties from the basketball court? Let us know in the comments.