FIRST Take fell into a heated debate over whether or not NBA players could make it in the NFL.

Kendrick Perkins and Shannon Sharpe went at it on Monday’s episode of First Take arguing whether or not basketball skills translate to football.

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The debate started with former NBA player Austin Rivers saying on the Pat McAfee Show that 30 NBA players could make the NFL but not the other way around.

“I can take 30 players right now in the NBA and throw them in the NFL,” Rivers said.

“You cannot take 30 NFL players and put them in the NBA.”

Perkins, a former NBA player, and Sharpe, a former NFL player, had differing opinions about the subject.

“I wanna make sure I’m hearing you and Austin Rivers correct,” Sharpe said.

“You can take 30 current players right now and go play in the NFL? I ain’t saying they’ve played before. I ain’t saying you give them a year, two years to train.”

Sharpe then questioned if even five NBA players could make it in the NFL, to which Perkins gave a resounding yes.

“You’ve lost your damn mind,” Sharpe said.

Sharpe also said that basketball players are more skilled than NFL players, saying shooting the ball was a harder thing to do.

However, he insisted that an NBA player would be unable to translate their skill into the NFL.

“The difference between football and basketball is the mentality,” Sharpe said.

“We go out there and we try to move a man against his will. We ain’t trying to run around people, we’re trying to run through people.”

Stephen A. Smith enjoyed the argument from a distance while Perkins and Sharpe went at it, and didn’t provide any opinion on the matter.

On the other hand, fans had plenty of ideas on who could play in each league and shared their thoughts.

“There isn’t 30 NBA players who can play in the NBA right now and there isn’t 30 NFL players who can play in the NBA right now. Now, let’s wrap this up,” one fan said.

“I agree with shannon. Sure you could find dudes athletic enough to train and play at that level. But you aren’t finding nba dudes to come in with no training and start,” another fan said.

“NBA players would make way better WRs and CBs,” a third fan said.

“You got NBA stars flopping at the lightest tap. How tf you say they gonna be good getting lit up by a linebacker or safety coming in full speed lmao,” a fourth fan said.

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