Cristiano Ronaldo won't be wearing a different jersey anytime soon, but one of his teammates envisions him having a chance in a different league. Miralem Pjanic, soon to be Barcelona's new acquisition, argued he could see his Juventus teammate of two years having success in the NBA.
Asked about several NBA-related things during a panel at the NBA Virtual Celebrity Row, the avid basketball fan picked the Los Angeles Lakers to win the NBA title and offered a pick 'em between LeBron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo for the Most Valuable Player award.
Via Marca:
“I think Cristiano, because he has many (good) qualities,” Pjanic told NBA Virtual Celebrity Row. “He has a good structure, he jumps very high, he's fast. If he's not bad with his hands, I think he could be a good basketball player.”
Former footy players like Steve Nash have managed to thrive in the NBA. The Canadian international made use of his unmatched footwork to dribble past defenders and set up his teammates, skills that set him up for back-to-back MVP seasons in 2005 and 2006.
Others who grew playing the sport, like Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo, grew way taller than a target striker or a robust defender and opted for a different sport instead of taking their chance between the goalposts.
Conversely, Cristiano Ronaldo; standing at 6-foot-1, could potentially become a scoring point guard with his blazing end-to-end speed and intricate feints when going mano-a-mano against defenders. The ultimate decider will be his jump shot, as the NBA more than ever is predicated on players' shooting ability.
If his jump shot is as wet as his long-distance strikes, Cristiano Ronaldo could be as good as Pjanic advertises him to be if he can translate his unique skill set from the pitch to the hardwood.
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