Travis Kelce recently spoke about almost pursuing a career in basketball before becoming a football player. He revealed the details on why he didn’t during the latest episode of the podcast that he co-hosts with his brother, Jason Kelce.
Travis Kelce almost became a hooper instead of a tight end
Near the end of the New Heights’ latest episode, released on April 1, NFL stars Travis and Jason Kelce spoke to college basketball coach Jerrod Calhoun.
While talking about his journey as a coach back to the University of Cincinnati, Calhoun jokingly noted that Travis had turned down the opportunity to play basketball. Jason jumped in and said, “I’ll tell you who turned you down. Ed Kelsey turned you down. That’s the real story of it,” talking about his and Travis’s father.
The Kansas City Chiefs star explained, “Dating back to old 2007, back when you, [Bob Huggins], and the entire staff went to West Virginia, I had already kind of committed [to the University of Cincinnati].” He added, “I [still] was looking around for some basketball schools.”
Travis continued, “Coach Barry Egan of Ohio coached me in my junior and senior years. Egan had a really good connection with you guys in Cincinnati. So, I go down to West Virginia. You’re my point of contact. You guys treat me like family, like I had never been treated before.” He added that until that point, people knew him only as “Jason’s little brother.”
Calhoun then praised the 3-time Super Bowl Champion for being a “hooper” back in the day. “You were a beast,” he said. In response, Travis appreciated the praise, adding, “I was a hopper at heart for sure.”
The 36-year-old athlete then recalled a discussion with his father in which he expressed a desire to play basketball at West Virginia University rather than football at the UC. He recalled what his father said: “You are a man of your word. You want to be like these kids that that commit to a that commit to a university and then decommit, and now the integrity of your word doesn’t mean anything.’”
That conversation with his father seemingly led Travis to continue at UC rather than WVU.
