Josh Norman is so confident he'd take Cam Newton 1-on-1 in basketball, he told Cam straight-up ... and TMZ Sports has the video!
We got Josh after a beach workout in L.A. with his NFL bros Julian Stanford and Demario Davis ... and the stud safety opened on why we keep spotting him droppin' sweat on the sand.
But, things got really interesting when our guy asked Norman about ballin' up Cam at his charity game in South Carolina this weekend.
Turns out, Cam was on the phone with Josh ... and when we asked who the better baller was, Norman wasn't about to back down.
"Me, of course. I'm not gonna say him."
FYI, a bunch of NFL stars are coming out to hoop at Norman's event -- but, is it gonna be bigger than Quavo's Huncho Day?
We asked ... and Cam's response was priceless.