Los Angeles Dodgers star Mookie Betts is set to coach in the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game, a fitting opportunity considering his prior basketball connections.
The game is scheduled to take place on Feb. 13 at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles and will air on ESPN. Rapper GloRilla and DJ Mustard will also feature in the event.
Betts is a multi-sport athlete, and during his high school years, the future Hall of Famer played basketball and almost pursued that path before focusing on baseball.
He has trained with various basketball players over the years, maintaining his skills during downtime. Betts played alongside Chris Paul and Brandon Miller last year, both of whom are active NBA players.
Betts is highly regarded as an athlete overall, as he still plays basketball and bowls at a high level.
Former teammate Kenley Jansen praised Betts’ athletic abilities in 2024, saying the star could play in the NBA if he chose to.
“Mookie is so gifted, that I could tell you right now — no disrespect to NBA players or NFL players — any sport that he does, that he puts his hands on, he’s just that gifted that he could play in the NBA right now, he could play football right now,” Jansen said on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast.
“I understand how hard it is for anybody to cross over but Bo Jackson did it. Brian Jordan did it. Deion Sanders did it.”
During an appearance on All The Smoke, Betts described his game on the hardwood, explaining what role he tends to excel in.
“I probably averaged, like, 14 points a game,” Betts said. “I almost averaged a double-double. So I really controlled the game. I’m not out there — I’m nowhere near a star, by no means.
“Like, I can control the offense. I’m not gonna lose it. I won’t win it, but I will put it in the man’s hands that will win it. I guarantee you that. So if you need it, I’ll do all the dirty work, and I got you.
“So I got hoop with Brandon Miller a couple times when he was in high school, and then right before college, and like, that was right up my alley.
“All I gotta do is bring it up the court. Give it to me and I’ll give it to him and I’ll play defense. So really, I was just more athletic and better than everyone in my area. So that’s where that came from.”
Why did Mookie Betts Choose Baseball over Basketball?
During a live stream with Adin Ross, Mookie Betts shared that he nearly gave up baseball while in the minor leagues and considered pursuing a college basketball career. He had even started preparing to take the ACT for college admission.
However, after an excellent game the day before the test, he decided to continue on the baseball path, eventually becoming one of the best players in the sport and a multi-time World Series champion while leading two marquee franchises.
