The meteoric rise of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes almost never happened. If his father had his way, Mahomes would have never gone pro, at least not as a football player.
During a recent conversation with TMZ Sports, Patrick Mahomes Sr. explained that while he always knew his son would be a professional athlete, he felt he was better at baseball and basketball than he was at football.
"I knew he was going to be a professional athlete from an early age. Baseball definitely I know he could've made. Basketball would've been the hardest for him because of his size," Mahomes told TMZ. "Football was probably the one I would've said was his worst chance of making it to the pros and that ended up being his best."
He then went on to explain that his son didn't start playing quarterback until his junior year of high school and when places like the University of Texas were recruiting the younger Mahomes to play defense he pressured his son to consider dropping the sport altogether.
"I was telling him, 'Why don't we just quit this and concentrate on the other two? We're just wasting our time with the football thing," Mahomes said. "Luckily he didn't listen to me."
In his father's defense, Patrick Mahomes' basketball skills have been on full display lately, after a video of him hooping went viral. Yet after an incredible 50 touchdown season made Mahomes the youngest NFL MVP since Dan Marino, it's clear that he belongs on the gridiron.
Related Stories
Patrick Mahomes Pokes Fun at His Pickup Basketball Ban
Mahomes is channeling that energy into other, less risky avenues.
Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes Becomes 2nd Ever to Throw 50 TDs and 5,000 Yards in a Season
Chiefs QB Pat Mahomes put a punctuation mark on what should be a unanimous MVP season in his final regular season contest against the Raiders.
The Chiefs Won't Let Patrick Mahomes Play Basketball After Viral Video Emerges
While many were entertained by the viral video, the Chiefs front office wasn't as amused.
