Portland Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey said they are not allowing rookie forward Pat Connaughton to indulge in professional baseball as he plays basketball for them, according to the NBA.com.

Like Us on Facebook

Olshey revealed that in a conversation with Connaughton, they raised the point that playing for the NBA is  not a part-time job.

The GM said that the schedule for baseball is also the same time he should be working on his basketball.

He noted that July is a time for NBA's Summer League, where a second-round pick in the NBA should try to have a translatable skill set. NBA players would also have to spend the offseason in the gym. 

However, Olshey says that if Connaughton could get a second contract down the road, then they are open to a discussion.

The "second contract", which is a guaranteed deal worth millions, could be earned if Connaughton shows promise.

Connaughton was rated as 33rd-best MLB draft prospect in 2011 by a scouting group. 

He attended Notre Dame and played in both in both its baseball and basketball teams, eventually shining as a shooter and scorer in hoops.

When the Baltimore Orioles drafted him in 2014 primarily for his 96 mile per hour fastball, he decided to stick it with basketball.

Connaughton was eventually picked 31st in the 2015 NBA draft by the Brooklyn Nets, and was shipped to the Blazers.

The last notable player to crack both MLB and NBA was 6-9 Mark Hendrickson, who played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, New Jersey Nets, Toronto Raptors, Cleveland Cavaliers then back to the Nets from 1996 to 2000, according to Data Base Basketball.

Hendrickson then concentrated on being a pitcher in MLB, a stint that lasted for nine years. He retired in 2015 afer stints in the minors. 

TagsPortland Trail Blazers, two-sport athletes, mlb, Pat Connaughton