Your favorite NBA player probably has a favorite esports player

Forget on-court stats. With the NBA now a 24/7/365 league, fans want to know what players are doing outside of the 48 minutes on the game clock. The most likely answer? Playing video games.

The average NBA player has a surprising amount of time on their hands. Even if they train for four hours and sleep for eight, that leaves 12 hours of the day. For NBA generations past, this spare time wasn’t always wholesome; going out on the town, drinking, gambling or all of the above sunk many a team’s chance of winning on the road.

But as gaming has become more popular in culture at large, it’s seen a parallel rise within the league. With today’s crop of NBA talent having come of age as console and mobile gaming became ubiquitous, it’s estimated that 85% of the league are avid gamers.

Some keep it casual, with the odd Overwatch session after practice. But others are professional-level good, and some have even invested in esports teams ...