I guess all those black players in the NFL don't count.

Julius Peppers would be in the NBA if he could have cut it there...he was 6th man for the Tarheels when they went on a deep run early this decade...he was a pretty decent basketball player.

If you're good enough to play in the NBA, are 6'3" or taller, and have a 40+" vertical...chances are you'd make a damn good NFL receiver...that position isn't rocket science.

Come on...who heard of Antonio Gates in college? He was a marginal player on a Kent State basketball team no one gave a shit about...

Somehow he's compared to Tony Gonzalez now as one of the best TE's ever?

So...why don't more of these guys resurface in the NFL? Because 90% of the GREAT athletes that play college ball that can't cut it in the NBA play in Europe because they'd still make more money playing overseas than they would in the NFL...and they don't risk the injury.

Come on...who'd be a better receiver? DeSean Jackson or Kobe Bryant?

It's a no ****ing brainer.

NFL players have changed a bit too since the '70s, in case you haven't noticed.

People take this argument as me thinking the NBA is better than the NFL...

Uhm, NOT EVEN CLOSE. The NFL is the one sporting season that I truly care about...I ****ing LOVE the NFL...NFL >>>>>>>>>> NBA

But the better athletes play basketball...and those better athletes could dominate the WR position in the NFL if there was a reason for them to do it ($$$$$)...

No, no, no. Your post there is exactly why NBA players are more athletic. If you simply put the athletic ability of an NBA player, next to an NFL player, they would be damn near identical. BUT, you take that ability and develop other natural abilities, such as hand eye coordination throughout the years, and the NBA players start to outweigh the athletic talent of NFL players. NFL players have raw athleticism, but NBA players fine tune it and what not. Which is why, those who were even decent in basketball are now studs in the NFL.

So, LeBron James...who has AT LEAST 4.5 speed (and if he doesn't he's JUST AS quick as a guy like Wes Welker so it's a moot point) who can touch the top of the backboard and weighs like 260+ lbs...and is 6'9"...you're telling me there would be some sort of answer for this guy in the NFL?

And please don't tell me he can't take hits...the NBA is a physical game...it's not football...but LeBron gets to the hoop at will no matter who's in the lane and I don't think the NFL has a lot of 7'1" 400 lb. freaks of nature like Shaquille O'Neal, either...who would have made a DAMN good TE...or LT...or DT...

Look at T.O.

A physical specimen for an NFL WR who is also a damn good NBA player...that being said, he isn't nearly NBA caliber and he isn't NEARLY as athletic as LeBron James...who would be the equivalent to super Randy Moss in the NFL...with a better mindset.

LeBron was #2 Mr. Football in Ohio...and he didn't practice...he only played on Fridays.

The ones that make the NFL are the heavies. They had much better builds for football than basketball. Their success in basketball was due to their athleticism despite having the wrong body type.

Drop James. Go to the 50th best athlete in the NBA. Now match him against an average NFL WR or CB on speed and strength. Who you going to take?

Shaq is way too big to play in the NFL. He could never stay healthy. You have no idea what taking constant hits below the knees would do to a man that big.

I don't understand why you keep saying that if you had a choice you would play in the NBA rather than NFL. Yes, I would too because of the money. But you seem to think, just because you are a great athlete you can automatically make it in the NBA. That doesn't make any sense. The amount of acquired skill in the NBA makes a great deal of difference. Some guys just don't have it. Just because Julius Peppers can't play in the NBA, and can play in the NFL does not validate your point at all. The best athlete at my high school was Justin Sandy. By far and large, he was the best athlete at our school. He ended up playing for the Browns and Titans here and there on special teams but always seemed to get injured. I think he plays in Europe now. He was the 10th guy on the varsity basketball roster despite being much more athletic than everybody else...

wow I can't believe there is any discussion on this because there is no doubt here who has the most genetic gifts. It's the NBA hands down, and the simple reason is money. The elite athletes make way more money over and significantly longer career than ANY NFL player. The best althletes with the best genetic gifts will always go to the NBA unless the hate basketball. THe only exception might be the natural athletes who are less than 6 feet tall. In the NBA they'd be overmatched due to sheer size and may only have an option in the NFL.

Simple case, TG, one of the best athletes in the NFL and a sure hall of famer. Good basketball player but couldn't even make it too the bench of an NBA team, because while he's great in his niche, he just doesn't have the freak natural genetics to make it in the NBA. No one will doubt how elite of an athlete TG is but that just tells you how much better the athletes in the NBA are. It's just about money, whoever pays the most will get the best athletes. Here's a simple question, there are tons of examples of football/basketball players who chose the NBA when it was time to go pro. Is there even one player who chose the NFL over the NBA who had a legitimate shot at the NBA?

And for those who think there is a better athlete in the NFL than James...really? 6'8" 250 4.4 40 as a WR. We all know how good fitzgerald is but Lebron would make Fitz look like sammy parker. No one in the NFL could cover him. Hell the only way to get enough height would be to have 2 CBs cover him chicken stack style with one on the other's shoulders and I'd liek to see them run a 4.4 40 that way. It would be jump ball to lebron every down and there would be nothing the D could do.

I'm not a big NBA fan...but you can't argue where the athletes are, it's just simply about money.

It's not really a good question to ask. They are 2 different kinds of athleticism. You ask anyone in the NFL to stay in front of most PGs in the NBA or even college without fouling, and I'd guess that no one can do it. Do you think Steve Smith can guard Sharron Collins? Defense is mainly just athleticism, not too much technique there. And jumping is something different completely. Football players jump maybe 4 or 5 times in a game. Basketball players jump every 2 or 3 times down the floor.

On the other hand, though, you stick those guys on a football field, and they get killed. Say what you want about basketball players taking time to develop their skills, so do football players. They learn how to take hits, run routes, defend routes, read defenses, and develop moves and blocking techniques.

The bottom line is that it takes a different kind of athlete to play each sport. Watch the Olympics. Those are some of the best athletes in the world, and they would most likely suck at basketball and football. It is just different.

BTW, I remember when Peppers was at UNC. He wasn't very good. He did what he did by just being stronger than the other guys and wanting it more. He was not particularly quick or jump particularly high. He had few moves. He wasn't anywhere near a superstar.

He's a sure HOFer, but I wouldn't consider him in the top 20% in terms of athleticism. He's not particularly fast. He has enough speed matched with a huge frame and great hands. He's a great football player because he's such a match up problem too fast to cover with a lb and too strong to cover with a CB or S and too tall for just about anyone. But if you put him on an obstacle course or in the decathlon, he's not going to be particularly strong in comparison to other NFL athletes.

So in this debate he's pretty much a straw man.

So, basically what you are saying is if you don't believe the NBA combine and NFL combine numbers? You just think they are lying? Obviously NBA players make more money because there is less of them per team. How do you know LeBron can run a 4.4 anyway? Have you timed him? Do you just assume every NBA player can run a 4.2-4.4 with pads on?