Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard has admitted that had he not become a footballer he might have played basketball for a career.

He also said that playing basketball in his youth has helped with his skills as a professional goalkeeper.

"I've been playing basketball as long as I can remember," Pitch quotes Howard as saying. "It's such an easy sport to get involved in, all you need is a ball and a hoop. I still have a hoop in my garden now and play from time to time when the weather is nice but I'm a bit out of practice.

"I probably could have played ball in college but football took over. My dream when I was a kid was to be Michael Jordan.

"I wouldn't say it is directly linked but clearly the hand-eye coordination is transferable [to football]. Certainly playing a lot of basketball when I was younger can't have hurt my goalkeeping."

The New York Knicks face the Detroit Pistons at the O2 Arena on Thursday night.