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Las Vegas Raiders rookie Dont'e Thornton Jr. makes it clear there is one thing he won't be doing off the field

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Justin Churchill | Last updated Jun 15, 2025 8:07 PM ET

Most athletes in the NFL used to play more than one sport when they were growing up, and even some of them still play two sports, just one professionally. Even some of the players on the Las Vegas Raiders played two or more sports.

You have Maxx Crosby, who always talks about how he used to play basketball, and of course, kicker Daniel Carlson, who is having to use his soccer skills this year with the new kickoff rule. And even some of the rookies the Raiders just drafted played two sports, and even more than two.

Rookie wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr., who has gotten a ton of attention because of his speed and size, let it be known that he played two other sports outside of football. And, one of them is where some of his speed comes from, and the other, he won't be playing again anytime soon.

#Raiders new WR @IamDTJ11 is too funny man.

And he made sure to give every fan in attendance a high five. Gotta love this dude pic.twitter.com/OtzG0hiY4P
— Justin Churchill (@ChurchillAtoZ) June 9, 2025

"It's crazy, I only ran track for two years in high school. I ran my first two years," he said at Raiders Media Day. "I played basketball, too. I'm not good at basketball, though, not good, not good at all. No hoop game at all. I can dunk, but that's it... I won't be there," Thornton Jr. said about Maxx Crosby's home gym. "I'll sit on the side and watch, but I can't play basketball."

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Hey, basketball isn't for everyone, and that's why he is in the NFL, because if he were good at basketball, it would be much less physical and pay much better.

But, playing those sports has helped guys like him with coordination, speed, and even things as small as being coachable, which is a skill, especially when you get to the NFL and there are coaches, multiple of them that you don't know or haven't ever heard of. His basketball background, even though he claims he isn't good, will help him.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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