NBA Players with Football Ties
Pat Riley
The six-time NBA champion (five as a coach, one as a player) and current Miami Heat president also happened to be a stellar wide receiver out of Kentucky. So stellar, in fact, that he was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 11th round in 1967. But after also being picked by the San Diego Rockets in the first round of the NBA draft that same year, Riley chose to utilize his basketball skills, helping the Lakers to the 1972 championship as a player. He later became one of the top 10 coaches in NBA history and, most recently, masterminded Miami's unprecedented free agent haul in 2010.
