Pep in the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game? It Might Happen

Carolina Panthers legend and first-ballot Hall of Famer Julius Peppers vouches for a celebrity game invite.

Schuyler Callihan | Feb 18, 2024

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Carolina Panthers

They don't make talents like Julius Peppers anymore - a guy that looked like he was built in a factory, given a combination of size, strength, speed, awareness, and intelligence to do whatever he wants to do and do it at a high level.

Most know Peppers for his success on the gridiron which resulted in a first-ballot Hall of Fame career. However, some often forget that he was one hell of a basketball player too and even played on the men's basketball team at the University of North Carolina for two seasons as a bench piece.

In 56 career games (three starts), Peppers averaged 5.7 points, 3.7 rebounds, 0.6 steals, and 0.4 blocks per game while shooting 60% from the floor. Those aren't eye-popping stats by any means but for a backup forward who was also on the football team, that's pretty impressive. Had he played basketball full-time, there's a pretty darn good chance that he would have developed into an NBA-level prospect.

Peppers told local reporters last week that he feels like he could have had a "solid" career in the NBA. Well, although he didn't get to play in the association, there's still a chance he could be a part of the NBA's annual festivities. After watching the likes of Micah Parsons, Mecole Hardman, and Puka Nacua take part in the NBA's Celebrity All-Star game, the Panthers legend got the itch to play.

I’m campaigning for an invite to next year’s @Ruffles @NBA All-Star celebrity game. We need to show the world there’s some @NFL players that can actually hoop.
— Pep (@juliuspeppers_) February 17, 2024

This time next year, Peppers will be at the age of 45. But as talented and gifted as he is, I wouldn't be surprised to see him not only play in the game, but make a run for the MVP award.