Former Teammate Thinks Dodgers' Mookie Betts Could Play in the NBA or NFL 'Right Now'

Sam Garcia | Aug 14, 2024

Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports

Dodgers right fielder Mookie Betts is arguably one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Boasting four MLB All-Star selections and multiple Silver Slugger and Gold Glove awards, Betts has proven his talent in the sport of baseball.

One of his former teammates believes that Betts’ talents would translate to at least two other sports in a major way.

Former Dodgers reliever Kenley Jansen said on a recent episode of the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast that Betts could be the next multi-sport professional athlete if he wanted to. 

“Mookie is so gifted, that I could tell you right now — no disrespect to NBA players or NFL players — any sport that he does, that he puts his hands on, he’s just that gifted that he could play in the NBA right now, he could play football right now,” Jansen said on the podcast. “I understand how hard it is for anybody to cross over but Bo Jackson did it. Brian Jordan did it. Deion Sanders did it.”

There have been numerous dual-sport athletes in MLB history.

Jackson played for the White Sox and Angels while simultaneously playing for the Raiders for four seasons. He is the only player to be an MLB All-Star and NFL Pro Bowler.

Jordan played for the Cardinals while also playing for the Bills and Falcons. He even played for the Dodgers from 2002-03.

Sanders played for multiple NFL and MLB teams in his career. He is the only athlete to play in both the Super Bowl and World Series. 

In Jansen’s eyes, Betts has reached the same status as these legends. The pair were teammates on the Dodgers from 2020-21, winning a World Series championship together. 

“To me he’s just a generational player — LeBron, Michael Jordan — Mookie Betts is one of them. Deion Sanders is one of them. Bo Jackson. He’s one of those guys, he’s in that category to me,” Jansen said.

Betts has dipped his toes in other sports. Despite his 5-foot-9 stature, he was named the MVP in his district’s basketball tournament in high school. Betts has bowled many 300 games in his life. He also expressed his interest in golfing in his free time. 

Due his mother’s concern with injuries, Betts never played football, but he did serve as Overton High School’s football manager when he was a student, according to FOX 17. Even though Betts never played, Jansen is confident that he could translate his athleticism to football.

“If he had to be a running back in football, a wide receiver — he is that good. He is just that gifted,” Jansen said. “People might not see it but I was his teammate a couple years. I saw it. He’s that gifted.”

Betts has accumulated a surplus of accolades across his 11-season MLB career, likely securing his future spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame. It would be interesting to see what Betts could accomplish in other professional sports.