NBA Players Who Love Video Games Almost More Than Basketball
When it comes to being social media and internet savvy, NBA players are perhaps some of the most well-versed in the world of sports, often encouraged by the NBA itself to push their respective personal brands to the max online.
This has led to certain players leading a parallel life to the one they play out on the court week in and week out, with some stars becoming hardcore gamers.
Here are the NBA players who love nothing more than hunkering down to the gaming grind once basketball practice is done and dusted.
Gordon Hayward
Whenever anyone draws parallels between gaming and basketball, they likely start talking about this Boston Celtics star, who was gaming long before he ever set foot on an NBA court.
He recently broke his ankle and turned to gaming to help him while away the hours in between rehab sessions. The games that nursed him back to health included Halo and Fortnite, so expect him to be a real sharp shooter as he tries to boost the odds of Boston making the playoffs this year.
De’Aaron Fox
When Kings fans aren’t pinning their hopes on his shoulders and he isn’t creating highlight reel-worthy plays, this highly touted youngster is gaming.
Fox’s killer instinct and lightning reactions are down, in part, to his love for online shooters such as Call of Duty 4, which he logs onto as soon as he is done working out or training.
Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid is renowned for dunking on his NBA opponents, his huge frame making him a handful for any defence to control.
Since moving from Cameroon to join the league, Embiid has used gaming to connect with his teammates, inviting them over for marathon sessions of FIFA, Madden and 2K.
Andre Drummond
This NBA All-Star became such a fan of battle royale game Fortnite that there were even fan rumours that he and his fellow Pistons players were taking their eye off the ball too much, preferring the video game to their day job.
Drummond has since moved on to the Cavs. It is unclear if he is allowed to play the same amount of Fortnite in Cleveland as he did in Detroit.
