The Biggest Gamers in the NBA and NFL

NBA and NFL players are extremely competitive guys, and they need an outlet for that drive off the court and field. Many players have become more and more into gaming as the technology and connection with fans have developed over the past decade or so.

Video games give players a unique outlet, as it can be both competitive and also a mindless yet entertaining task that serves as a distraction while players unwind.

It seems like Call of Duty is the primary game of choice for most athletes, although sports titles like Madden and FIFA also get some discussion.

These are the 10 biggest gamers in the NBA and NFL.

Maurice Jones-Drew

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Maurice Jones-Drew is one of the most notorious gamers in all of sports, and this interview back in 2009 shows that he has been dedicated for years now.

The veteran running back is apparently a ridiculous Call of Duty fanatic, and said that he plays for seven to eight hours, which just goes to show how hooked he is.

Dwight Howard

Say what you want about Dwight Howard, but the Houston Rockets' forward is not afraid of a challenge on Xbox.

Howard was so confident about his skills in Call of Duty that he gave out his gamertag and issued a challenge to all his fans. Check out the video for the interview with Howard where he talks about COD and his gaming habit.

Chad Johnson

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Chad Johnson may currently be an NFL free agent, but he is one of the most notorious gamers in all of sports.

He gives out his gamertag, professes his love for Call of Duty and FIFA on his twitter, and even let gaming delay his marriage proposal. There's also a funny video on Youtube (language NSFW) that shows someone losing to Johnson in COD while playing online.

Roy Hibbert

Indiana Pacers' center Roy Hibbert sat down for a great interview with Bleacher Report's Jared Zwerling to discuss life off the basketball court, which seems to primarily consist of playing Call of Duty.

Hibbert revealed that he is a massive gamer, and also used a connection with a COD programmer to get a custom gun for him to use in the game. 

Dez Bryant

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If you follow Dez Bryant on twitter, you will realize that he tweets about video games quite a bit, specifically Call of Duty.

He also went in and bought Play Station 4s for some random people in line when they were first released, which shows that he's not just charitable but also appreciates gaming as well.

Kevin Durant

Check out the video for some of Kevin Durant's comments on the brand-new NBA 2k14, which has gotten rave reviews around the web.

A true sign of a gamer is figuring out how to play while traveling, and this picture of Durant's extravagant travel kit shows that he clearly has it covered.

Arian Foster

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In that same ESPN article about gaming where he was featured alongside Maurice Jones-Drew, Arian Foster also proclaimed his love for gaming and Call of Duty in particular.

Like MJD, Foster discussed playing eight-hour marathons, which really does seem to be a bit excessive. As he put it, they are "just always playing video games". 

Jason Terry

Jason Terry is apparently a crazy Call of Duty fan, and even has a tattoo dedicated to COD. This intriguing interview with Complex reveals all of Terry's gaming habits.

He also gets his family involved in the gaming, and apparently is hooked on the game Skylanders, which is played with interactive toys and is a great way for the Terry's to all play together.

LeBron James

LeBron James is known for a lot of things, but his love for gaming is not really one of them. However, after reading about how big of a gamer he is, it's clear that they are pretty high on his priority list.

The cover athlete for NBA 2k14 got a ridiculous package from Play Station. It included a customized Play Station 4, copies of the game, and an engraved console. It's good to be king.

Chris Kluwe

Chris Kluwe may have been cut by the Raiders a couple months ago, but the punter will likely get another tryout this offseason. In the meantime, I bet he will spend a lot of time in front of a screen.

The 31-year-old is a top-ranked World of Warcraft player, and his twitter handle is @ChrisWarcraft, which tells you just about all you need to know. But in case you want to know more, he also has characters named after him in in both X-Com: Enemy Unknown and Shadowrun Returns.

Kluwe is also apparently reached all levels of Guitar Hero mastery, which just makes too much sense.