Anaheim, Calif. ? Renaldo Hill knew Antonio Gates was a talented athlete years ago while growing up in Detroit. It’s just that back then, basketball was Gates’ sport.

Hill will get a chance to see how good a football player Gates has become with San Diego when the Oakland Raiders play host to the Chargers on Sunday.

“He was definitely a better basketball player,” Hill said. “He was known all across the state for basketball. … He’s been an athlete since his days in high school, and was the big basketball star in the state of Michigan.

“He’s a good friend of mine. I look forward to going out there and challenging him. It will take me back to my high school days.”

Now, Gates might be the best tight end in the NFL. Hill and Gates, who played against each other in high school and briefly were teammates at Michigan State, will see plenty of each other Sunday.

San Diego's Antonio Gates (85) beats Pittsburgh's Ike Taylor for a touchdown catch. Gates, shown Monday in San Diego, will compete Sunday against Oakland safety Renaldo Hill. Gates and Hill attended high school in Detroit, where they played against each other.

Hill, who joined the Raiders as a safety after four years in Arizona, could be matched up at times with Gates in their first meeting as professionals.

“Oh man, it’s crazy,” Gates said. “We literally played against each other.”

Gates had a winding road to becoming an NFL star. He started his college career hoping to be a two-sport star for coaches Nick Saban and Tom Izzo at Michigan State. But Saban didn’t want Gates to play basketball, leading him to transfer to Eastern Michigan.

After a brief stay, Gates transferred to the College of the Sequoias in Visalia, Calif., before ending up at Kent State. Gates averaged 20.6 points and 7.7 rebounds a game for the Golden Flashes, leading them to the regional final of the NCAA Tournament in 2003.

Going undrafted in the NBA, Gates tried out for the NFL and signed as a free agent with the Chargers, quickly developing into a star. He was an All-Pro last season with 81 receptions for 964 yards and 13 touchdowns, an NFL record for scores by a tight end.

None of that has come as a surprise to Hill.

“He was an athlete from the days back then. You could just see his talent shine through in whatever he did, whether it was basketball or football,” Hill said.

It will the second straight week Gates has matched up with a friend from Detroit, a city that is known more for producing basketball players. He went up against Pittsburgh linebacker Larry Foote on Monday and now gets Hill.