Not too long ago our friends over at Daily Knicks published an article breaking down sports Knicks’ players could excel in. Today I borrowed that idea and present to you six Phoenix Suns, if they played other sports.
Alex Len – Gymnastics
Before becoming the greatest Ukrainian basketball player of all-time (sorry Vitaly Potapenko, Viacheslav Kravtsov – who actually played for the Suns – Slava Medvedenko, Kyrylo Fesenko, Oleksiy Pecherov, Joel Bolomboy, and Pooh Jeter), Alex Len was an avid gymnast. In fact, if you played NBA2K14, somebody on the announcing crew mentioned that fact every. single. game.
Len was trained by Alexei Stepanenko who trained Olympic gold medalist Ihor Korobchynskyi. Believe it or not, I am no expert when it comes to gymnastics. However, with Len’s 7’1″ frame, doing cartwheels and jumping jacks would look pretty impressive for a border-line giant.
Devin Booker – Table Tennis
While Devin takes a break from basketball, he takes his talents to table tennis. His precision and scoring instinct allow him to see the ball before it ever arrives, and makes plays all over the table. In fact, Devin in so good, he was part of the NBA All-Star Talent Challenge last season.
The only downside is that if the Suns keep losing, they may lose Booker to his true passion. If you are curious about the influx of Puma endorsements in the NBA, beware: JOOLA and STIGA might make a run at Booker offering more than he can ever earn in the NBA!
Or not.
Tyler Ulis – Track and Field
Tyler Ulis is a pretty speedy guy on the court. His size, paired with his agility, allows him to move around very quick. This comes as no surprise as he ran track in his high school years, competing in both the 800 and 1500 meter races. With a 3.1 three-quarter sprint, Ulis holds up against nearly every draft class, finishing in top-10 when compared to previous classes.
Tyson Chandler – Fishing
When Chandler finishes throwing down lobs in Phoenix, he enjoys lobbing hooks into the ocean. Tyson can be found in several pictures across social media taking in the high seas. Back in 2008, he was featured in an ESPN story where he went fishing along with his brother and several others. Unfortunately, with Arizona being landlocked, fresh seafood can be hard to come by. This will be no problem for the Suns, who can send Chandler to San Diego to catch some fish. On the plus side, being so tall means he can get back with the fish still fresh.
Josh Jackson – Chess
While no Chess is not technically a sport, J.J. is pretty darn good at it so I am adding it to the list. In the second grade, Josh was taught to play chess by his father and has remained an avid competitor ever since. One could argue Jackson’s defensive prowess on the court came from his time playing chess on a board. He is able to predict opponent’s moves and react accordingly. Jackson was also featured in a Vice video where he took on a very good chess player.
Check, mate.
Alan Williams – Dodgeball
This one is pretty easy. Williams has the energy of a small child and the force of a bulldozer. Not only does he have the arm strength to throw a dodgeball through a wall, but he can dodge a wrench. I’ve seen it! (Okay, I haven’t seen it, but I can imagine it, and it’s glorious.)
You would figure too that he might be an easy target when dashing up to the starters line to grab a ball at the whistle, but you’d be wrong. With years of basketball training catching lobs for dunks, Williams’ giant hands grab dodgeballs out of the air as if they had been lobbed by a point guard. You just can’t get this guy out!
Watch out Phoenix Dodgeball: A-Dub the bear cub will fool you. He may look like he’s a giant target, but he’s actually dodgeball savant.
Next: If Jabari Parker is available, the Phoenix Suns should make an offer
Did we leave out anyone? If so let us know for a part two that probably won’t happen!