Deion Sanders: I was very close to playing in NBA with Hawks

Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders revealed to SI Now’s Maggie Gray on Thursday that he nearly added a third professional sport to his already impressive two-sport resume.

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Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders revealed to SI Now’s Maggie Gray on Thursday that he nearly added a third professional sport to his already impressive two-sport resume.

Sanders was selected twice in the MLB draft, first turning down the chance to play for the Royals when they drafted him in the sixth round in 1985 and ultimately signing with the Yankees after being drafted in the 30th round of the 1988 draft. 

He went on to play nine seasons of professional baseball, including four years for the Atlanta Braves, from 1991 to ’94. During that time, current Dodgers president Stan Kasten was the president of both the Braves and the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, and Sanders said he and Kasten struck a deal.

“I was close, I mean really close. This is a breaking story. I was really close to playing for the Atlanta Hawks for one game,” Sanders said. “When I was with the Braves...[Kasten] was going to allow me to play in an NBA game so that I could play three professional sports.”

Sanders never made his NBA debut, but was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011 after a 14-season All-Pro NFL career.

Watch the full video with Sanders above.