Ex-NBA Player Nate Robinson Gets Token Tryout With Seattle Seahawks

At this time of the year, with mini-camps going, NFL teams occasionally get headlines by bringing in a notable name for a tryout.

The Seattle Seahawks are doing so this year, with the Washington Post reporting that former NBA guard Nate Robinson will have a tryout as a defensive back on Monday.

Robinson was waived by the New Orleans Pelicans in October, and before signing with a team in Israel in mid-March he announced plans to try to play in the NFL. With a pro basketball career that might be over, Robinson deserves some credit for looking toward a next step.

Robinson played football in high school and then in college at the University of Washington for one season. He had 34 tackles in 13 games (six starts) in 2002 before deciding to focus strictly on basketball. So he comes to his Seahawks tryout with some football experience, even if it was 14 years ago and Robinson is now 32 years old.

The same lack of size (5-foot-9) that stood out about Robinson as a basketball player makes it an uphill climb for him to become a football player of any note. Let’s just hope he makes it out of his Seahawks tryout without a bad injury, and then maybe Robinson will officially give up the pipe dream of playing in the NFL.