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Sinbad once turned down the opportunity to play for Gregg Popovich

When most think of actor and comedian Sinbad, many probably don’t think of basketball. However, as he revealed in an interview with VLADTV, he was actually quite sought after as a college basketball prospect, apparently receiving over 70 scholarship offers. He was even recruited to the Air Force Academy by then-assistant coach Gregg Popovich during his very first coaching gig.

After a visit to the campus, Sinbad would ultimately decline the future Spurs head coach’s offer because he didn’t want to shave his afro and go the through the rigors of being a cadet (ironic considering he eventually served in the United States Air Force as a boom operator aboard KC-135 Stratotankers), but the trip did make the Michigan native realize he enjoyed the state of Colorado, so he played for nearby University of Denver from 1974-1978 instead.