Tony Gonzalez, Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinee and current football analyst, recently discussed the possibility of having played in the NBA. Appearing on “The Dan Patrick Show,” Gonzalez reflected on his experience with the Miami Heat’s summer league team more than twenty years ago.
Gonzalez played two games for the Miami Heat during their 2002 summer league while in a contract dispute with the Kansas City Chiefs. He scored three points on one-for-seven shooting and collected eleven rebounds in twenty-nine minutes over those two games. The Chiefs limited his play out of concern for his NFL career. After that stint, Gonzalez returned to the NFL and continued playing another decade with Kansas City.
Despite the brief nature of his basketball opportunity, Gonzalez expressed confidence about his potential in professional basketball. According to Gonzalez: “People say, ‘You think you could’ve played in the NBA?’ I’m like, after that experience, absolutely I could’ve played. (…) I wouldn’t have started, probably. Cause 1-7, I would have made that three or four for seven, and I still would have gotten those rebounds. So, I would have worked myself, my jump shot would have been a little bit better.”
Asked by Dan Patrick if he could imagine having a career similar to Draymond Green’s as an NBA player coming from a football background at California, Gonzalez replied: “I think I could have played. There’s no doubt about it, I know I could have went in the league and got you eight to 10 rebounds a game and got you eight to 10 points a game. There’s no doubt in my mind, call me crazy, I could’ve done that.”
Pat Riley also weighed in on Gonzalez’s abilities as an athlete during an interview more than ten years ago about Gonzalez’s time with the Heat’s summer league team. Riley commented that Tony Gonzalez “could have been a 10-year pro in the NBA,” describing him as “at times, dominant in practice” with Miami’s squad.
Gonzalez has since continued working as an Emmy-nominated studio analyst and is entering another season on Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” coverage.
