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Nobody can accuse Anthony Richardson of setting the bar too low when it comes to evaluating his own basketball skills.
The Indianapolis Colts quarterback appeared on Tuesday’s Up & Adams show with Kay Adams and said he could average 12 to 13 points per game in the NBA. That’s not all, though, as he also said he believes he could defeat LeBron James in a dunk contest:
Up & Adams @UpAndAdamsShow
<a href=” QB Anthony Richardson is READY for his NBA 10-day contract 👀🏀🏈<br><br>AR: “I feel like I would average a good 12-13 points in the NBA.”<br><br>Kay: “I think you could beat (LeBron) in a dunk contest…?”<br><br>AR: “Right now yeah, he’s about to be 40 soon.” <a href=” <a href=” <a href=”https://t.co/YidY6SZmpV”>pic.twitter.com/YidY6SZmpV</a>
While Richardson pointed out the 39-year-old James is almost 40 years old, this is still the King we’re talking about. He’s on the shortest of short lists when it comes to the best players in NBA history and has consistently proven he can still throw down dunks with the best of them in the open floor.
It should be noted James has never competed in a dunk contest during his NBA career, so he doesn’t have an iconic performance he can point to during these arguments. Perhaps if he did something like Vince Carter did in the 2000 Dunk Contest, it would be easier to shut down these hypotheticals.
Still, the idea of an NFL player defeating James in a dunk contest is amusing at best, even if it is an NFL player as tall and athletic as the 6’4″ Richardson.
Richardson will probably have to put any dunk contest dreams on the back burner, as he is looking to turn the corner in his second season in the NFL and become a star quarterback who can lead the Colts to the playoffs.
The No. 4 overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft was limited to four games as a rookie because of injuries, but the 2024 campaign will give him a chance to turn potential into production on the field.
And then maybe he can focus on his dunking.