Contrary to some opinions, Shaquille O'Neal, an American basketball legend, has his own opinion of pro esports players. He revealed that they are also athletes.
"I consider pro esports players to be athletes. I want to praise you, and I'm proud of you. The word athlete itself means different things, but most of it comes down to mindset," explained Shaq, quoted by us from Dotesports, Monday (30/5). /2022).
He illustrates that being an athlete is not just about physicality. But it's also about how the players have the right mentality.
"15% of the game is physical and the other is mental. If you say you are athletes, I believe it. Because I can't do what you do," said Shaq.
According to him, both esports and traditional sports have an estimated long career life. Which of these two ecosystems, has a finite period of time and they can compete.
"You guys don't really have longevity, I think it's three to five or five to six years. You know, the same thing with the NBA and the NFL, so yeah, you guys are athletes," said Shaq.
Please note, Shaq is one of the first traditional sports stars, who are involved with the esports ecosystem. He has invested in NRG Esports in 2016.
The organization founded by Andy Miller, the person who serves as CEO, has several gaming divisions. From Overwatch League, Call of Duty and Rocket League
Including participating in ELEAGUE's Street Fighter 5 Invitational Celebrity Showdown competition in 2018. At that time he was with Jimmy Rollins from Baseball and Eva Marie from WWE.