1. Jalen Suggs
Just like the others, Jalen Suggs was a very talented football player in high school. He played quarterback and defensive back while at Minnehaha Academy in Minnesota and led his team to a Class 4A State Championship in 2018.
As a senior, Suggs was named Minnesota Mr. Football and Mr. Basketball, becoming the first player ever to win both honors in the same year.
The same competitiveness and toughness we see from Suggs on the NBA court now was already on display very early on in his football career. In a 2021 interview, Suggs recounted taking hits when playing against older kids as a second-grader. Even then, Suggs didn't back down from a challenge or physical play.
Suggs was considered a five-star recruit in basketball and a four-star recruit in football and received several scholarship offers in both sports.
The decision was not easy, but eventually, Suggs chose basketball, went to play at Gonzaga, and became a top-five draft pick. Suggs has not yet signed his rookie extension with the Orlando Magic, but, so far, sticking to basketball has not been a bad choice. In just his third season, Suggs established himself as an All-Defensive talent. Magic fans are certainly glad that Suggs didn't pick football.