The NBA scene has not missed the explosion of celebrity boxing.  On Sunday night, former NBA All-Star Deron Williams had a fight against former NFL running back Frank Gore. The bout was won by D-Will via split decision and was generally fairly exciting.

The celebrity boxing trend doesn't seem to be slowing down. The main event of the night saw YouTuber Jake Paul brutally knock out Tyron Woodley in the sixth round, and the arena was completely packed. That burgeoning popularity and the inclusion of Williams made us think which NBA players would fare best in the ring down the line

Here are the two active NBA players most likely to follow Deron Williams' path to boxing.

Nikola Jokic 

The reigning MVP of the league and Denver Nuggets star does not, granted, look like a future boxing star. He is famous for being a bit overweight and doesn't exactly boast a lean, chiseled physique. However, Jokic has a few things in his corner that might help him going forward. Of course, body type is not always indicative of a boxer's ability. Tyson Fury, for instance, would have unflattering pictures coming out only a couple of weeks before his fights, and he won 31 out of his 32 bouts.

The most important aspect that needs to be taken into consideration is the genes. The Jokic family has been making headlines lately. After a recent beef between Jokic and Markieff Morris that almost escalated into a full-blown brawl and the response of Morris' Heat teammates, Jokic's brothers became famous across the basketball world. Jokic has two brothers and they are usually in the focus of the cameras whenever their brother is being antagonized on the floor. It happened against the Phoenix Suns in last year's playoffs, the pair ostensibly prepared to rush the court once Jokic was ejected.

What most do not know, however, is that one of his brothers is very active in the fighting community. Granted, it's still not boxing, but it's a fairly similar combat spot. The middle brother of the Jokic trio, Nemanja, has been an MMA fighter since 2018. As Marca reports, he is especially good in Muay Thai, and usually takes his opponents down by knockout. He's still yet to make it big, but Nemanja looks plenty imposing in the octagon.

Maybe Jokic will decide against a boxing career after his NBA stint is over, but it would certainly be fun to watch. Possibly, we could see the final confrontation between Morris and Jokic, who could settle their differences after their basketball careers are done. Many would give an advantage to Morris, but with some training from his brother, it would be tough to completely exclude a possibility of Jokic winning that bout.

James Johnson 

Anyone even roughly familiar with Johnson's background knew he would be featured here.

Bloodsport, as he is commonly known, has enjoyed a solid NBA career, but is arguably even better at Karate than basketball. His prowess in MMA is also unmatched among his NBA peers. Johnson puts a lot of effort into maintaining his ability in martial arts, even training during the NBA season. Again, MMA isn't boxing, but Johnson has a history of training in combat sports and it would be very fun to see him try out boxing as well.

Johnson has competitively fought in kickboxing and MMA since he was 18 years old. His overall record is 20-0, with a 7-0 record in MMA specifically. Whenever Johnson is on the court, his toughness is highlighted and he looks like an old-school enforcer. If he could translate that to boxing, with his attitude of work and effort, Johnson could actually seriously think about a career in mixed martial arts after his lengthy NBA career is finished. He is 34 now, so he does not have a lot of time left in professional basketball. Boxing might be an option.

Just like Jokic, Johnson also has genes on his side. As highlighted by Mavs.com, his whole family is deep into various combat sports. His father is a 10-time Karate national champion and a five-time world champion, while his mother has five national titles. Additionally, all of his eight siblings have some sort of black belt, whether it be in Karate like Johnson or any other fighting discipline. Boxing is not yet a part of their family, but Johnson might be the first one.