Basketball wasn't always the first choice for Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski. In a recent article by Nick Friedell, Podz revealed that his first love was baseball. But he turned out to be pretty good at playing basketball, too, which led him to grow and develop his skills on the court.

Things would've been different for the 22-year-old NBA guard if he had stayed in baseball. According to the third-year player out of Santa Clara, he would've been a star athlete. Podz asserted that he could flourish on the field and be a fantastic batter.

He went as far as to compare himself to LA Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani.

"I think I could be the white Shohei (Ohtani)," Brandin said. "I think I could do both. Maybe not to the degree he can do it, but I think I could for sure do both. Pitch, play the field, hit, all those things."

After claiming that he could've been the "white version" of the Japanese sensation, fans went into a frenzy online. Here are some of what the fans said about Brandin Podziemski.

"bro wouldn't even be better than Jordan," a fan said.

"Then why did he choose the sport he's no where near that level in? 😂" another fan commented.

"i need this f**king guys confidence 😭😭😭" someone commented.

"This guy really has all of Steph's irrational confidence with 1/7th the talent," a comment read.

"Lol this kid's head just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Someone's gonna humble him pretty soon, probably Draymond," one fan commented.

Choosing between two things that are close to the heart is never easy. In an interview with "The Dinner Table" podcast in 2024, Brandin Podziemski revealed that it was difficult for him to choose between basketball and baseball.

Playing baseball was his initial love, but in the eighth grade, he developed a stronger affinity for basketball. He said that his dad, John, wanted him to pick up the bat. But Podz's love for shooting hoops was greater, and it was heavy for him to tell his parents about it.

"It was a hard conversation, I remember we were driving back from a tournament in Nashville, and I just told him in the car, 'I don't think I want to play baseball anymore. I think basketball is something I love to do now, and this is just where I want to stop.'

According to Brandin Podziemski, he promised to make it big in basketball. He fulfilled that promise when he was drafted by the Warriors in 2023.