7 Legendary College Basketball Players Who Played Two Sports

1 of 7 Wilt Chamberlain wasn’t just a titan of the hardwood; he was also a track and field star. At Kansas, he averaged over 29 points and 18 rebounds a game. Dave DeBusschere was a two-sport standout at the University of Detroit. He has a legacy that will be remembered on both the hard courts and the mound. He led the basketball team in scoring and rebounding for three straight seasons and also starred as a pitcher on the baseball team. His baseball career went beyond college, too. Danny Ainge was a triple threat in high school, playing football, baseball, and basketball. But at BYU, it was all about hoops and the occasional MLB appearance. Ainge starred for the Cougars, averaging nearly 21 points per game and winning the Wooden Award in his senior season. Jackie Robinson played four sports: basketball, baseball, football, and track. Robinson led the nation in punt return average, topped the Pacific Coast Conference in basketball scoring, and won the NCAA title in the broad jump. Eventually, he left the hoops behind and moved to MLB. Charlie Ward pulled off one of the most unique double-dips in sports history. At Florida State, he led the Seminoles to a national championship in football and won the Heisman Trophy in 1993. But instead of heading to the NFL, Ward took his talents to the NBA. Scott Burrell at UConn amassed over 1,500 points, 750 rebounds, 290 assists, and 300 steals. He was drafted 20th overall in the NBA, but that’s only half the story. Burrell was also a first-round MLB pick twice. Tony Gwynn was dishing dimes and draining jumpers at San Diego State. In fact, he played more years of college basketball (four) than baseball (three). Gwynn left SDSU averaging 8.2 assists per game in the 1979-80 season.