Chiefs’ DeAndre Hopkins grew up a basketball star, too. Why he chose football instead
For a time, Kansas City Chiefs receiver DeAndre Hopkins believed his future was in basketball.
As a high school freshman, he attended NBA star Chris Paul’s elite camp in North Carolina. He also impressed going against other future basketball pros, including 2012 first-round draft pick Marquis Teague.
So why did Hopkins eventually give up hoops in college, after briefly trying to play both football and basketball at Clemson?
“I thought I was going to be a basketball player until I realized the NFL had more draft picks,” Hopkins said. “And I was like, ‘Man, I might need to make a business decision here.’”
Hopkins, a 12th-year pro who was traded to the Chiefs midseason, has been open about — during this Super Bowl LIX week in New Orleans — challenges he faced in the past.
He looked to inspire kids on Monday, dedicating a post on his social media account to the kids in “small towns, in small houses, with single parents” and also those who “see violence, who see loss, who don’t get the resources they deserve.”
“Know that I was a kid in your exact shoes and this week I’m playing in the Super Bowl,” Hopkins wrote. “Don’t give up, work hard, keep believing. Where you start doesn’t determine where you end up.”
Hopkins said elevating his situation was top of mind once he finished his high school career.
“As I got closer to it, I was like, ‘This could be a reality for me,’” Hopkins said of becoming a pro athlete. “So for myself, I was like, ‘Man, what do I have a better chance of making it professional in?’ And there’s not a lot of 6-2 point guards in the NBA, either.”
Hopkins still joined the Clemson basketball team in 2010-11 during his freshman year, right after a productive football season when he had 52 catches for 637 yards.
The Tigers, however, had a senior starting point guard in Demontez Stitt who rarely left the floor. Football coach Dabo Swinney also convinced Hopkins he needed to put all his effort into football, so Hopkins gave up hoops after playing just 10 minutes his first season.
He was playing the odds. The NFL Draft has seven rounds, while the NBA’s has two, and the chances of making a 53-man NFL roster were better than the NBA’s 15-man limit.
Hopkins said solidifying a financial future was especially important after being raised in Section 8, government-assisted housing — a reality he says is “like most football players and a lot of people in this world.”
“That’s always been something — growing up how I grew up, being the leader of the family — that I had to put into consideration as well: my family,” Hopkins said.
His final decision certainly worked out.
After three football seasons at Clemson, Hopkins was selected by the Houston Texans in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft. According to Spotrac, Hopkins’ career earnings have exceeded $140 million.
Something different, however, is motivating the 32-year-old Hopkins this week.
The veteran receiver has never advanced this far in the playoffs, making this week’s Super Bowl experience completely new.
Hopkins held his phone up to record his experience on the field at Monday’s Opening Night at Caesars Superdome. At that moment, he says, he was taking everything in.
“In my head, I was just thinking, ‘Man, I’m here. I’m on this stage. I’m on a podium,’” Hopkins said. “I wanted to have some memories for later, and for my kids to see.”
The focus now turns to winning. Hopkins has appreciated being part of this Chiefs team, which he says doesn’t have an ego.
He also has mirrored that mindset. Hopkins had no catches and only 12 snaps during the Chiefs’ AFC Championship victory over the Buffalo Bills.
It didn’t stop him from celebrating on the Chiefs’ confetti-filled home field afterward.
“The game where I didn’t have a catch,” Hopkins said, “is probably my funnest game.”
Most of all, Hopkins says he’s grateful to be in this situation — and for how everything turned out.
A lengthy NFL journey without a Super Bowl until now? And a long-term decision early to choose football over basketball?
Both were part of what got Hopkins to the NFL’s biggest stage this week.
“It’s been a dream come true. It’s been amazing,” Hopkins said. “I’m just grateful the Chiefs allowed me to be part of this.”
