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Bills QB Josh Allen realistically weighs in on NFL/NBA player debate

What would a transition from the field to the hardwood look like for Josh Allen?

McKenna Middlebrook

Feb 8, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen on the Pac McAfee show on radio row at the Super Bowl 58 media center at the Mandalay Bay resort and casino. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 8, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen on the Pac McAfee show on radio row at the Super Bowl 58 media center at the Mandalay Bay resort and casino. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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The Buffalo Bills returned to Orchard Park this week as this year's organized team activities have begun, and that usually leads to plenty of curveball questions from reporters and journalists trying to get any sort of soundbite out of the NFL’s top stars. 

A question that has been making the rounds this offseason from pundits to podcasters is “Which NFL player could play in the NBA?” It’s a great hypothetical and seems like an ego check for NFL players. Especially if you’re Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons who from all accounts believes he could be a starter in the NBA stating, “It ain’t that hard to dunk.” 

This is an oversimplification of a sport that takes years of practice, training, nuance, and skill. NBA superstar Paul George actually weighed in on this debate last spring, believing that an NFL player couldn’t transition to the NBA because NFL players can’t shoot the ball.

But what does star quarterback Josh Allen think about this debate? 

“I think I could give some good minutes, be a 3-and-D guy. I’m going to bust my tail on defense and chuck up a couple shots and pray that they go in.” 

Related: Former Second-Round WR 'understands situation' in Bills' roster competition

Allen also stated that he believes that he could get a couple rebounds, and also said that there are guys who could play both in both sports at a high level. A great impartial answer from a man who is famous for neutrality in press conferences. 

So who is the NBA comp for Allen? People have thrown Luka Doncic around, and in terms of a comparison of talent in their respective sports that would be spot-on. But in terms of Allen’s actual NBA comp? It’d be a guy like Donte DiVincenzo. They’re two guys who are athletic enough off the dribble, will fight on defense, believe in the process, and will throw up shots. 

Would DiVincenzo be more efficient? Yes. But Allen has the potential to be a spark off the bench bringing size and energy to most NBA lineups, making him one of the better NBA-NFL crossover players in the league.  

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McKenna Middlebrook

MCKENNA MIDDLEBROOK

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