Former Michigan football WR/TE Devin Funchess made history in recent weeks. Funchess has signed a professional contract and it’s not the sport you might be thinking of. Now out of the NFL, the 6-foot-4 athlete signed a contract to play pro basketball.
Funcess signed with the Caribbean Storm Llaneros of the Professional Columbia Basketball League.
Funchess is the first NFL player to ever sign a professional basketball contract. He has played in two games so far. In two games, Funchess is averaging 18 minutes on the court, 4.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, and shooting 60% from the field.
Speaking with Panthers.com, Funchess shared he promised his Grandfather three things: He would win a Super Bowl, play Pro basketball, and become a farmer. Funchess played with Carolina from 2015-2018, and played one final year in 2019 with the Indianapolis Colts — but never won a Super Bowl. He signed with the Packers (2020), 49ers (2021), and Lions (2022), but never played in a game after the 2020 season.
Funchess shared in the 2020 COVID-19 season, he wasn’t sure if he was going to continue playing football. His cousin, Aden Holloway a McDonald’s All-American, enticed him to play and shoot with him. Funchess remembered his love for the game and a promise he made to his Grandpa.
“I just started dribbling and once you start dribbling, you just get addicted to it,” Funchess admitted. “That’s what all the greats in that sport say, like you got to do it every day, you got to do it every day and make sure you fall in love with that.
“So, I was just doing that to kind of cope with something that I never had to deal with—being away with football…then it was just like, this was an outlet for me to think of all the different possibilities.”
Funchess hopes to get back to the States to play basketball. He is planning on trying out for two G-League teams: LA Clippers and the Charlotte Hornets. At 29 years old, Funchess isn’t giving up on the dream of playing in the NBA, but he hopes to at least play in the G-League for his family and his Grandfather.
Funchess played for Michigan from 2012-14 and was a second-round pick by the Carolina Panthers in the 2015 NFL Draft.
