Basketball players have a huge advantage in terms of height, weight, and athleticism. Manny Steward use to try to lure basketball players to boxing and stated that the best heavyweight athletes are in basketball. But its almost impossible to lure a good/great basketball player to boxing because the chances of becoming a millionaire are so much higher with basketball plus you get scholarships and a lot of perks without risking your mental health. Switching to a combat sport as an adult takes abnormally high heart but growing up doing a combat sport does not. Once you're good at something or well experienced it produces a lot more confidence and of course comfortability. But basketball players could very well do it if they switched over early enough. Deontay Wilder was a basketball player and he started boxing at 20. He wasn't even an amateur for 2 years and he became the best heavyweight boxer in the U.S. Then a year later became one of the best heavyweights in the world and won an Olympic medal.