Drake London used to ball out with Scottie Barnes

Atlanta Falcons wideout Drake London was an elite two-sport athlete, playing AAU basketball with NBA stars like Zaire Williams, Scottie Barnes and Tre Mann.

Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Drake London was the first receiver taken in the 2022 NFL Draft, but the No. 8 overall pick maintains that if he chose a different path in life, he could have been a top pick in the NBA Draft.

Before the NFL Draft, London caught up with FanSided’s Mark Carman to discuss being a part of Head & Shoulders, a company that boasts elite NFL representatives like Patrick Mahomes and Troy Polamalu.

But London isn’t just a lauded first-rounder for the Falcons: he also grew up playing AAU basketball with some of the best basketball players in the country, many of whom went on to play in the NBA.

“All the guys that I played against in AAU, they’re already in the league,” London told FanSided. “A lot of my teammates are already in the league, and I was doing them the same way I was doing these guys on the football field, so I think I would be fine.”

Former AAU teammates include Memphis Grizzlies small forward Ziaire Williams, Toronto Raptors power forward Scottie Barnes, and Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Tre Mann.

Falcons wide receiver Drake London could have easily played in the NBA

London played a bit of basketball while at USC, but he primarily focused on football in his three years with the Trojans.

London only played basketball in his freshman year, but the football season and a bout with a viral illness cut down his time on the court. London only played in two games, nabbing 5 rebounds in 8 total minutes. Next year, London focused solely on football, a difficult decision that he spoke about with the OC Register in 2021.

“It feels like a part of me has left. That was my first love,” London said. “I never really told anybody that, but [basketball] was my first love. That was the first ball that I picked up, the first sport that I started playing.”