Chris Paul is gone.
D-Wade is gone.
Duncan is gone.
Shaq is gone.
Dirk is gone.
KG is gone.
AI is gone.
Melo is gone.
Pierce is gone.
Rondo is gone.
Nash is gone.
Bosh is gone.
Ray is gone.
Yao is gone.
T-Mac is gone.
Linsanity is gone.
Scalabrine is gone.
Your childhood is over.
Typically, a Heisman winner is almost guaranteed to play in the NFL.
But there is one outlier: Charlie Ward.
Ward played quarterback for the Florida State Seminoles from 1990 to 1994.
He was so good at football that he won the Heisman trophy, college football's highest individual award, in 1993.
Yes, the same Heisman that these NFL players won:
๐ Lamar Jackson
๐ Derrick Henry
๐ Joe Burrow
๐ DeVonta Smith
But his path to pro sports went a different route.
While playing QB, he also played point guard for Florida State's basketball team, making it to the NCAA tournament in 1992.
When Ward's college days were over, he was unsure whether to be drafted to the NFL or the NBA.
He said he wouldn't even think of playing in the NFL unless he was drafted in the first round.
Why not, though?
He's a Heisman winner, and being the top college player is almost a GUARANTEE you're an NFL first-round pick.
But analysts project him not to go in the first round.
So, to the NBA he went.
Ward was drafted by the New York Knicks, becoming a key contributor to the Patrick Ewing-led teams that made the finals twice in the 90s.
Known for being a tough defender and a steady playmaker, Ward carved out an 11-year career in the NBA.
To this day, Ward is the only Heisman winner to play in the NBA.
It's very rare to have an elite two-sport athlete be a potential pro in 2 sports.
It's always going to be one or the other.
Charlie Ward chose the basketball court over the football field.
Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are on a legendary run ๐ฅ
2023: World Baseball Classic Championship
2024: World Series title
2025: World Series title