News alert: Patrick Mahomes is popular.
Yeah, we know that much has been true for quite some time and it feels silly to write it, but sometimes it's the audience that makes something notable. Imagine a promising young singer being told that his/her voice is great by an established recording artist. When it comes to the measure of a compliment, it's sometimes about who it is delivering it. That's true in this case for Mahomes.
A new survey in the Athletic asked several questions of NBA players, including asking about their favorite non-NBA athlete.
Every year, the Athletic asks a series of questions to scores of NBA players in an anonymous format that allows them to answer honestly. This year's edition involved a third of the league and garnered answers on the most overrated and underrated players in the game, the league's best defender, the greatest to ever play the game and more.
For our purposes, one question at the end asked basketball players about their favorite current non-NBA athlete. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback ranked No. 5 overall on the list and was the second-ranked NFL player. In the end, Mahomes garnered 3.5 percent of the votes. The top five vote-getters looked like this:
- Lamar Jackson
- Caitlin Clark
- Novak Djokovic
- Usain Bolt
- Patrick Mahomes
Interestingly, among the "other vote getters" arranged at the end, some NBA players even voted for defensive end Chase Young and quarterback Kirk Cousins. As they say, there's someone for everyone.