Steph breaks down the Mahomes basketball film that originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
Warriors star Steph Curry and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes are two of the best to ever play their respective sports.
So what happens when the basketball player foils the football player’s attempt to run on the hardwood as a high school student?
Pure comedy, with of course a touch of top analysis.
“He’s got a nice… ooh. He shoots with his whole body. I wanted to give him some kudos on how smooth he was with his footwork,” Curry told ESPN on Tuesday just before finding out he was reviewing Mahomes’ highlight-reel preparation. ‘No, it’s not, no, it’s not. You wouldn’t know this is Pat Mahomes. He looks quite at ease among the trees, as we call them when you’re in the paint. So it looks like his pocket presence looks pretty solid.”
The 10-time All-NBA Golden State guard had no idea he was watching Mahomes’ basketball clips when he was a kid.
Mahomes’ highlights caught Curry off guard, as he wasn’t fully aware of the quarterback’s dual athleticism, even after the Chiefs’ superstar can clearly hoop and shoot as the Warriors’ No. 30 pick.
During the 2012-13 varsity basketball season for Whitehouse High School in Texas, Mahomes impressively averaged 19.9 points over 27 games – the man is good at everything.
Curry saw some of the quarterback’s advanced skills unleashed during his basketball days, particularly admiring Mahomes’ playmaking ability.
“Yes, I think about his creativity, double spin moves and always finding a little lane to attack with his body,” Curry added. “It doesn’t seem like he’s afraid of the physicality either. Reasonably round, even though the jumping horse needs some work.”
As an NFL player, Mahomes isn’t afraid of physicality. He’s also not afraid of confrontation, as he took lighthearted exception to Curry’s comments about his jump shot.
“But it’s going in,” Mahomes also emphasized in conversation with ESPN on Tuesday. “I mean, it goes in.” It doesn’t always have to be beautiful. I mean, I’m not going to shoot like Steph.”
Curry continued to compliment Mahomes’ play and compared their thought processes in similar but different scenarios in their respective professional sports.
“It’s kind of like when you get stuck and you just have to get out [the ball] Get out of there and get it to the open man somehow and let them do the rest of the work, but you always have an option,” Curry added. “I think that’s the way Pat sees the game, and for me as a point guard, that’s how you try to feel. You always have the ability to get the ball where you want it.”
Mahomes agrees that his ability to see the field is second to none.
And just because he had fun with the what-if factor surrounding his basketball career.
“People see the arm angles, but they don’t see how I can see the whole field and pass it to the guy where they can get the ball and go downfield and all that. I guess that’s point guard, growing up,” Mahomes concluded.
“If I didn’t stop growing in eighth grade, I might play basketball. You never know.”
One thing’s for sure: Curry and Mahomes always provide great entertainment, whether it’s on the court, on the court or on the court.
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