Gone are the days when being into video games was something exceedingly quirky. In fact, there are various activities that people have generally associated with geekness, such as anime, which have entered the public sphere.
You can trace it back to the modernization and ubiquity of these things. Perceptions change with time, which is why normalization is so important for these avenues. We can add changing demographics to the mix, with more and more young adults having grown up with video games rather than having them be a marginal experience.
Athletes are no different. Many of them, especially the most famous ones, are almost superhumans because of their athletic talent. That’s why seeing some of them have the same passion as us is fascinating.
In this article, we have selected a set of sportsmen who are particularly tied to the gaming world. More specifically, we’ve gone with stars across different sports to keep it relatively interesting. This is particularly important since it shows how ever-present video games are.
A Source of Endearment, or a Cause of Derision?
Before we start getting into this list, we wanted to note a very interesting part of this conversation: how do we feel about these athletes having such a passion?
As you’ll see, relatability is a very strong denominator of perception here. The more niche a game is, the higher the fascination is. When Tim Duncan and David Robinson, along with other San Antonio teammates, proved to be big fans of Starcraft, it generated a huge level of amazement because, at that time, such an interest was exceedingly uncommon.
Nowadays, being into games like Fortnite or Grand Theft Auto isn’t that outlandish since they are some of the most popular titles in this industry. As such, there are layers to how people perceive things.
Unfortunately, derision is also part of the conversation. The gamer class, if you will, has always been a subject of banter because of supposed laziness or acute lack of sociability. Since many athletes are part of team sports or have to work with retinues of trainers, coaches, and so on, having the stereotypical traits of a gamer is beyond incompatible.
That’s why, in at least one of the cases that we’ll discuss in this list, the opinion on the athlete’s passion for gambling can turn into criticism.
Humanizing Athletes Is a Good Exercise
Entering this kind of conversation and not talking about public discourse would be a mistake. While these athletes do live privileged lives in terms of the wealth that they’re gathering by playing pro sports, their high profile can easily turn into vitriol and abuse.
Some so-called fans are also letting some personal aspects get to their heads. Gambling, with its poker tables, free slots tournaments online, sports betting, and fantasy, has turned into an immense machine, and the results from this phenomenon can bleed into spectator behavior, especially online.
Sports wagering, together with fantasy sports, has raised the level of pressure on athletes, whose out-of-sport interests, combined with bad performances at the worst times for the bettors, can easily get abusive.
Reminding ourselves that these sportsmen are humans is essential. Having a passion for something as casual as video games can be a reminder that they are very similar to us, especially during their free time.
Gordon Hayward
We begin with one of the two retired athletes on this list as of the writing of this article: Gordon Hayward. The former basketball player, a first-round pick in 2010, was born and raised in the state of Indiana, where he also played in college at Butler University in his native Indianapolis.
As a pro player, he began his NBA career with the Utah Jazz, with whom he spent the longest tenure in the league. He progressed virtually every year of his career up until the 2016/17 season, when he also clinched his only All-Star appearance.
He very notably signed for the Boston Celtics in 2017 as a free agent, joining the core of then-sophomore Jaylen Brown, rookie Jayson Tatum, and trade acquisition Kyrie Irving. Unfortunately, in the first game of the season, he suffered a gruesome injury that very much so derailed his playing career, albeit it didn’t end it.
Hayward was decent, but as hoped for Boston, and then went on to play the rest of his career by retaining the status of a serviceable starter for the Charlotte Hornets. After spending the latter half of the 2023/24 season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Hayward retired from professional basketball.
Given that he had a pro career of over a decade, video games were always a passion of his. He famously played and promoted StarCraft II for the IGN Pro League in 2011, and even joined Chess.com as a content creator in 2022.
However, the game that Gordon Hayward is most associated with is League of Legends. During his injury recovery, Riot Games (LoL’s developer) even released an animation in support of Hayward, who has notably been a fan of the sport since its release. He has always been a fan of Clash Royale, among other mobile games.
Kyler Murray
The ultimate case of derision that has permeated into the public sphere has to be that of Kyler Murray. The former NFL #1 overall pick in 2019, Murray has recently switched teams after the Arizona Cardinals, the team that drafted him, released Kyler from his contract.
Currently, he has joined the Minnesota Vikings on a 1-year, veteran minimum contract. We’ve yet to see if he’ll start, given that he’s now in a competition with 2024 first-round pick JJ McCarthy for the starting quarterback job. His signing for the Vikings is particularly important since he has mentioned openly that this was his favorite team growing up.
For anyone who’s not into the sphere of NFL football, the source of derision caused by gaming may be a bit of a surprise. The idea is simple: Kyler Murray’s passion for Call of Duty raised concerns about his commitment to his craft, especially as the franchise quarterback of an NFL team: a position that requires immense work, including concentration.
Reports of a study clause in Kyler Murray’s contract extension with the Cardinals attracted immense attention and criticism. Some have decried the degrading nature of this element, while others mocked Arizona for even giving him that $230 million contract if the club had such serious questions about his commitment.
Ultimately, things didn’t work out that well. The aforementioned concerns were, in part, arising when Murray collaborated with then-popular FaZe Clan in April 2021 (before he signed his big contract in 2022). A few injuries later, problems with play calling and an overall bad structure in the Cardinals organization were simply not feasible.
Kyler Murray also promoted another installment in the CoD franchise in 2024 and, if we are to believe the internet, also participated in Madden tournaments. For him, the gamer tag was a stigma.
Luka Doncic
Rarely does such a successful and skilled athlete in their sport do so well in the gaming department as well. It appears that Los Angeles Lakers megastar Luka Doncic is a polymath in anything that has something to do with playing. He also capitalized on this passion in ways that we’ll discuss shortly.
Doncic has been a wonderful basketball player for much of his career. He rose through the ranks of Real Madrid’s program as a teenager, ending up as one of the most successful and spectacular performers in EuroLeague history, winning MVP and the trophy of the foremost European competition before he even turned 20.
After solidifying himself as a legend in Madrid, he famously joined the Dallas Mavericks in the 2018 NBA Draft, winning Rookie of the Year and playing alongside franchise legend Dirk Nowitzki in his final season in the NBA. He showed why he was such a highly rated prospect, even if he didn’t garner the universal praise and confidence of enough scouts.
What has followed has been a career that, if he were to retire today, would be a Hall of Fame resume. Numerous First Team All-NBA, All-Star nods, two scoring titles, and a couple of playoff runs, including one to the finals. He’s yet to win an MVP or a Larry O’Brien trophy, but he’s merely 27 years old.
Many sports fans have heard and felt the shock of their lives when the Mavericks almost inexplicably traded him to the Lakers in February 2025. What’s funny is, almost immediately after this seismic event, a scheduled campaign came out in which Doncic played an Overwatch character centered on the Texas aesthetic.
He has been a noted gamer since he was in the pre-draft process at the very least, also being into EA Sports FC’s precursor and Call of Duty. However, his greatest connection has been with Overwatch (including 2), famously showcasing that he was top 500 globally as a tank and mastering multiple heroes of that game.
One of the funniest moments was when a streamer ended up running into Doncic in 2023, with Luka acting all natural while the other guys were struggling to realize who they were talking with.
Demetrious Johnson
Of all the athletes that we have in this list, Mighty Mouse may be the one with the strongest passion for the video game medium itself. Not only that, but he has also expressed very notable opinions about this industry as a whole, noting its shortcomings and problems in how it manages to create true classics.
Demetrious Johnson, for those who don’t know him, is a combat sports legend. Standing at 5 feet 3 inches, or about 1.60 meters, his nickname of Mighty Mouse perfectly exemplifies how his stature does not influence his standing.
He was one of the greatest mixed martial artists ever, showcasing a rare combination of physical talent and the ultimate mastery of technique and controlled violence. Johnson’s speed, ability to excel in both striking and grappling, and his incredibly strategic style of controlling any bout, all while taking full advantage of his explosiveness.
Mighty is the other retiree in our list, having put an end to an illustrious career in September 2024. His abilities as a Flyweight and Bantamweight led to a record of 25 wins out of 30 fights across various promotions. Johnson is an inductee into both UFC’s and ONE’s Hall of Fames, where he reigned as champion and defended his title 11 times in a row.
As a gamer, DJ started out as a fan growing up in the 1990s, notably having a passion for Doom, Metroid, and even Final Fantasy. He was also part of Method Gaming, a pro ensemble in this industry.
Johnson’s YouTube and Twitch channels have shifted in recent years. He has stopped streaming mostly, and his YouTube platform has generally moved away from gaming because of his fading interest caused by the aforementioned souring of his perception of the industry.
However, you’ll find plenty of footage of him playing popular games, fighting titles like Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter, and the biggest part of the catalog: World of Warcraft.
Max Verstappen
Aside from being arguably the most talented Formula 1 pilot in history and one of the most successful drivers of all time, Max Verstappen is a racer’s racer and an aficionado of the real passion that goes into motorsport. However, he’s also a fan of the digital representation of it.
As any fan of F1 has known for a while, Max Emilian Verstappen was born to race. Parented by a successful karting mother and a former F1 driver, he dominated the karting scene for much of his childhood, supported both financially and as a mechanic by his father Jos, even if that meant a far-from-ideal treatment.
Say what you will about the ethics of it, but Max has been made of steel, and Red Bull Racing’s former adviser, Helmut Marko, brought him into the fold after just one year of racing in single-seaters, giving him a drive in 2015 for the then-Torro Rosso team, when Verstappen was just 17 years old.
What followed was a fascinating arc. He notoriously replaced Daniel Kvyat at the main Red Bull team for the 2016 Spanish GP and won the race on his debut, but the rest of the decade was him trying to mature, all while grappling with the infamous reliability of Renault’s engine and Mercedes’ dominance.
It all came together in 2021, when he finally had a title-contending car, and he very controversially won the title on the last lap of the season. However, even if Abu Dhabi 2021 wasn’t the cleanest crowning, Max continued to dominate the next 3 seasons, with 2023 becoming the most dominant season by a driver in F1 history (by volume of wins, at least).
He lost the title narrowly in 2025 and is currently trying to balance out his issues with the 2026 regulations, Red Bull’s new era after several departing senior figures, and his own passion for endurance racing.
That’s how we make our segue into the video gaming side of Max, which is a matter of perspective. If you believe that sim racing, especially in an organized setting, counts as gaming, then you’d probably know that he has famously taken part in Team Redline, which he joined as far back as 2015.
In fact, the team became part of the overall Verstappen Racing program and is now the simulator arm of his project. A video game like this is now a way to promote motorsport talent via sim racing into the real world version, which proves just how passionate Max is when it comes to this phenomenon.
He’s also been into football, as a fan of PSV and Barcelona. Verstappen successfully played EA Sports FC going back to the 2010s, when he was a very good player worldwide. Max has proven to be beyond successful and good at everything he’s ever taken part in.
Conclusion
You now have it: some of the most interesting, talented and elite athletes in the world having a penchant for gaming. It’s great to see them be so invested, but it should also remind every gamer that playing responsibly and not exaggerating is just as important!
Dylan Reyes, BSc in Game Design, has spent eleven years developing indie titles and analyzing esports strategies. He joined our site in 2025 to unpack mechanics, lore, and hardware essentials for gamers of every skill level. Off-keyboard, Dylan teaches coding to teens and speedruns retro classics.
