Before he had hoop dreams, Philidelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid dreamed of space.

In a cover story with GQ’s Clay Skipper released Monday, Embiid revealed that his original dream before discovering basketball was to run for office and eventually become an astronaut.

“[In] Cameroon, we don’t know [expletive] about space. I don’t even know if there’s a Cameroonian astronaut. That’s what I wanted to become. I wanted to become president, and I wanted to become an astronaut. Because I was really good at math.” Embiid said.

Embiid goes on to say it would be “easy” to be the first seven-footer in space. By his estimates, it would only take him a year-and-a-half after quitting his day job of dunking over defenders on the court and social media to escape the atmosphere. There have been more than 35 NBA Most Valuable Players, but only 12 people have ever set foot on the moon. Embiid wants to be the first man to do both.

I admire Embiid’s confidence, I really do. But I wanted to find out just how feasible it would be to send a 7-foot, 249-pound basketball player, whose tolerance for heights seems to top out at a big water slide, hurtling towards the stars. So I called the experts at NASA to properly gauge if Embiid has “it” factor.

Katherine Brown, a Public Affair Officer at NASA, walked me through NASA’s astronaut requirements, and it doesn’t look good for Embiid. While potential astronauts don’t necessarily need a pilot’s license anymore, there are three main stipulations, so let’s walk through them all.

“A bachelor’s degree in engineering, biological science, physical science, computer science or mathematics.

At least three years of related professional experience obtained after degree completion OR at least 1,000 hours pilot-in-command time on jet aircraft.

The ability to pass the NASA long-duration astronaut physical. Distant and near visual acuity must be correctable to 20/20 for each eye. The use of glasses is acceptable.”

Additionally, astronauts are encouraged to have skills in “leadership, teamwork, and communication.” While the Sixers could use a little more improvement on communicating screens and backdoor cuts, Embiid’s experience as the emotional leader on a professional basketball team should cover these requirements; it’s the others that could be a problem.

Embiid only stayed at the University of Kansas for one year, where he never declared a major before leaving school for the NBA in 2014.

But that’s not totally disqualifying, because Embiid could always go back and finish his degree like Michael Jordan or Shaquille O’Neal.

As for the other two, if Embiid went full time into astronaut training, he could get those 1,000 hours in just 25 weeks if he worked 8 hours a day. As for the “long-duration astronaut physical” Stephanie Schierholz of NASA’s Human Spaceflight program said Embiid could pass that easily as a professional athlete.

If Embiid can pass all the requirements, then the NASA Selection Board will review his application. The last time NASA had an open call for astronauts, a record-breaking 18,300 applicants sent in their resumes, and eventually, the agency accepted 12 new astronauts for the program.

If accepted, he’ll have to go through two years of training in geology, leadership, space aeronautics and even learn Russian.

“Because the destination currently is the Space Station, the only way you get up there is through the Soyuz capsule launching from Russia with a crew from there, so astronauts need to know the language,” Schierholz said.

But some things are out of Embiid’s control. The same physical gifts that made him a dominant force on the court might permanently ground him on Earth.

Space is a premium in space. Shuttles and capsules on the International Space Station are models in spatial efficiency. Most astronauts fall between 5-foot-2 and 6-foot-3 while the tallest astronaut to prepare for liftoff was Space Shuttle commander Jim Wetherbee at 6-foot-4.

“Unfortunately, there is a height restriction,” Schierholz said.

While space stretches into infinity, the world inside NASA vehicles and suits are incredibly cramped. Orion, NASA’s latest spacecraft designed for deep space missions, is designed to “accommodate 99 percent of the adult human population” which falls between 4-foot-10 and 6-foot-5. Unfortunately, Embiid exists in the 1 percent of mankind that can’t fit in the most advanced spacecraft in history.

Hypothetically, let’s say somehow there’s a new spaceship designed for 7-footers. Embiid would be the tallest man in space ever, and he might break his own record while he’s orbiting the Earth. Recently a Japanese astronaut grew more than 3 inches in a few weeks on the ISS due to the fact that in low gravity the vertebrae in the spine stretch out.

In addition to stretching the spine, astronauts also lose bone density. According to Brown, “NASA has learned that without gravity working on your body, your bones lose minerals, with density dropping at over 1 percent per month,” which isn’t a good sign for a player whose first few years were marred by foot injuries.

That bone loss might not even be corrected by rehabilitation once you return to Earth according to NASA so Embiid could be at greater risk of osteoporosis-related fractures later in life.

Even though Embiid might seem grounded now, he can still support the space program from Earth, either through their education programs or visiting headquarters. The Sixers star even received a special invite to view the next launch.

“The amount of people who get the privilege to go to space is very small, but the amount of people who support space exploration is very large,” Schierholz said before inviting Embiid to visit mission control or view their next launch. “It would be great to have him,” she said.

Space travel is a perilous exercise that requires astronauts to be in peak physical and mental condition. Embiid might have a better chance to star in the Space Jam sequel than actually going to space, but don’t count him out. If anyone can boldly go where no basketball player has ever gone before, it’s Joel Embiid.