If these basketballers played football who would they resemble?
Football and basketball are fundamentally different sports. Football lasts for ninety minutes whereas basketball lasts for forty eight minutes. Football has 22 players playing at a time while basketball has 10. You cant kick a basketball and you can't handle a football. I can go on but I believe everyone is aware of the differences in both sports. However, both sports do have certain similarities.
Both sports often involve a sudden change of direction to try to fool the opponent. Shooting, dribbling, and passing are all common elements in both sports. Shot fakes and give and go's are some moves common to both sports. Added to that both sports lead to a lot of knee and ankle injuries.
In this article, we talk about basketball players and the player they most resemble if they played football.
LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo
Longevity, athleticism, and greatness are qualities synonymous to both LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo. It would be only fair to compare the "King" to Cr7. Both players left their old franchises to pursue a new challenge in 2018. Lebron left the Cleveland Cavaliers to go to the Lakers and Ronaldo left Real Madrid to go to Juventus. They both are 33 and still don't seem to be slowing down.
James Harden and Neymar
When you think of the best one on one players in basketball Harden comes to mind. In football, Neymar is deadly in one on one situations. Both players are scoring machines and really crafty with the ball. Added to that both players are excellent at drawing fouls. (sometimes illegally)
Draymond Green and Ngolo Kante
Both Draymond and Kante may not be offensive stars but they are excellent at what they do. Both are defensive superstars in their respective sports. Having said that their personalities are polar opposites. Kante has won the World Cup and the premier league while Draymond has won multiple NBA titles.
Donovan Mitchell and Kylian Mbappe
When you think of the brightest young talents in football and basketball, Mbappe and Mitchell come to mind. Both have the potential to be the greatest of their generation. Both players are very crafty with the ball and have great agility. Mitchell is blessed with nuclear athleticism and Mbappe has incredible speed.
Chris Paul and Andrea Pirlo
When you think of maestros who control the game by their passing and high IQ Chris Paul and Andrea Pirlo come to mind. Both are masters of controlling the tempo of a game. Rajan Rondo and Mesut Ozil/Cesc Fabregas would also be a valid comparison.
John Wall and Eden Hazard
John wall is probably the best in the NBA when it comes to accelerating from a standstill. His ability to accelerate immediately is unguardable. The same can be said for Eden Hazard. Hazard may not be as fast as Gareth Bale but over the first five yards he as one of the fastest footballers in the world.