Nearly a decade after his retirement from the NFL, Donovan McNabb is still waiting to be inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The former Philadelphia Eagles superstar has been eligible for Canton in each of the last three seasons, and is more adamant than ever he deserves to be enshrined among other football giants, recently telling TMZ that his statistics speak for themselves – and even singling out Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman as someone less deserving than he is.

But those weren't the only headlines McNabb made during his interview with the celebrity gossip site. Asked whether he would have preferred to play professional football or professional basketball if he had the chance to choose, the former Syracuse star answered in a way that might shock those less familiar with his deal-sport history.

Basketball, McNabb quickly answered, going on to say that he idolized Michael Jordan growing up and that basketball is a far superior “team sport” compared to football. The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder – during his NFL days, at least – went so far as to say that he would have traded his NFL career for one in the NBA.

Donovan McNabb, it bears reminding, played basketball in addition to football during his days at Syracuse. He was a walk-on with with the Syrcause basketball team under Jim Boeheim for his final two years in college, including in 1996, when the Orange lost to Kentucky in the championship game of the NCAA Tournament. In 18 appearances on the hardwood across two seasons, McNabb scored 41 points and shot 37.5 percent from the field.