Former Washington Wizards forward Caron Butler played with great NBA point guards during his time in the league, ranging from Jason Kidd to Gilbert Arenas.
Butler, though, in a recent interview named another athlete with the ability to pass who could have played in the NBA — Tony Romo.
Butler told ESPN Monday that Romo could have made it in the NBA if he had stuck to basketball instead of football. The two played against each other in high school basketball in Wisconsin.
““Believe it or not, man, when we were in the prime of our careers, I used to always talk about it: [Romo] could have easily been a professional basketball player,” Butler said. “And a lot of people were like, ’Man, you’re crazy for saying that,’ but Tony could shoot. He could handle the ball. He had a knack for scoring, man, he really did.”
Romo averaged 24 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game at Burlington High School and was named to the All-Racine County boys basketball team in 1998, per ESPN. Butler was also named to that team.
Romo will get a brief taste of the NBA, which is why Butler was interviewed.
The Dallas Mavericks are honoring Romo as a “Maverick for a day” on Tuesday against the Denver Nuggets. Romo, who just retired from the NFL to join CBS, will be in full uniform, sit on the bench with the Mavs and even participate in the pre-game layup line.
• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.
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