Colts Rookie QB Anthony Richardson Showed Off Some Serious Basketball Skills in Pickup Game

The QB looked unstoppable on the court.
Colts Rookie QB Anthony Richardson Showed Off Some Serious Basketball Skills in Pickup Game
Colts Rookie QB Anthony Richardson Showed Off Some Serious Basketball Skills in Pickup Game /
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No. 4 overall NFL draft selection and new Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson is already getting comfortable in the city of Indianapolis.

The athletically gifted quarterback, who starred at the University of Florida, showed up to a local pickup basketball game Monday. Also lacing up that day was James Boyd, a Colts beat writer for The Athletic, who documented Richardson’s dominance on Twitter.

“No stopping him in transition!” Boyd wrote. “I matched up with him a couple times, once on a fast break. I stopped and shot the 3 because I know he would’ve Lebron-ed my layup!”

Check out these skills from Richardson: 

Richardson did play varsity basketball at Eastside High School in Gainesville, Fla., averaging double-figure scoring as a junior, so it’s no surprise he looked good in the pickup game. His former Florida teammate Gervon Dexter, who also teamed up with Richardson in AAU basketball growing up, said earlier this year he believed Richardson could have won the NBA Dunk Contest because of his athleticism.

Richardson’s athletic exploits were a major reason the Colts decided to draft him as their potential next franchise quarterback. His vertical jump at the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this year was measured at 40.5 inches, which would have ranked in the top five at the NBA Draft Combine this year. Plus, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds, an incredibly fast time for a quarterback.

Overall, probably not an easy guy to face in a pickup game, no matter the sport! 


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Kevin Sweeney
KEVIN SWEENEY

Kevin Sweeney is a staff writer at Sports Illustrated covering college basketball and the NBA draft. He joined the SI staff in July 2021 and also serves host and analyst for The Field of 68. Sweeney is a Naismith Trophy voter and ia member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.