Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel may have a new nickname: Johnny Basketball.
The Harlem Globetrotters selected Manziel during their eighth annual player draft on Tuesday.
The Globetrotters have been known to make ceremonial picks over the years, drafting soccer star Lionel Messi in 2011, Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt in 2012 and former New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera a year ago.
“We like to think outside the box with our draft, so we look at all different kinds of athletes that could have the qualities of a Harlem Globetrotter,” said Sweet Lou Dunbar, the Globetrotters’ director of player personnel, in a press release. “Johnny Manziel is a fantastic athlete that knows how to be entertaining. ‘Johnny Basketball’ has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?”
Manziel, who won the Heisman Trophy as a freshman with Texas A&M in 2012, was taken in the first round of the NFL draft last month and was also selected in the 28th round by the San Diego Padres in the MLB draft.
The Globetrotters also drafted Canadian Sim Bhullar as well as Mitchell Wiggins Jr. and Nick Wiggins, the older brothers of highly-touted basketball prospect Andrew Wiggins.
