A familiar face from the NFL is trying to be the first athlete to make it to the pros in basketball as well.
Devin Funchess is a name that should ring a bell to any Carolina Panthers fans, especially on their run to Super Bowl 50 in 2016. NBA fans would be forgiven if they didn't recognize the name, but perhaps they should soon. Funchess is trying to make history by becoming the first NFL player to play professional basketball as well.
Funchess was a 6'4″ tight end at the University of Michigan who already faced one big career pivot when he got drafted by Carolina in the second round with the 41st overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. They saw potential for him as a wide receiver, and he made an instant impact for the Panthers in 2015, quickly becoming a red zone target for league MVP Cam Newton, catching five TDs as a rookie and two passes in the Super Bowl.
He lasted four-plus years in the league and five more on practice squads and training camp rosters, scoring 21 times.
But basketball was always his first love, and at just 30 years of age, Funchess felt there was still time to pivot.
He worked out with six-time All Star Amar'e Stoudemire, played overseas and recently became the first NFL player to sign a pro hoops contract.
He’s currently playing for a team in the Colombian league, and won't quit until he gets a G league tryout.
His crossover potential is the closest on record since Charlie Ward's days at Florida State. Charlie Ward won the Heisman trophy at FSU and led the Seminoles to their first NCAA championship in college football in 1993. But like Funchess, he professed basketball to be his favorite sport, and since he was good enough to go pro in either — he went with basketball, and became a reliable ball handler for the New York Knicks.
Ward even started in the 1999 NBA Finals. But he never changed his focus — he stuck with basketball his entire career.
Funchess did the Super Bowl thing and decided it was time for a pivot. Obviously, making the G league is a far cry from the NBA, but Devin Funchess seems determined to posterize all expectations of himself, so fans of either sport better take notice.
