Jackson ThompsonApr 16, 2021, 20:27 IST
Odell Beckham Jr. and Luka Dončić.Phil Barker/Future Publishing via Getty Images; Jason Miller/Getty Images; Hector Vivas/Getty Images; Olly Curtis/Future Publishing via Getty Images; Samantha Lee/Insider
- Many superstar athletes use their platform to become high-profile gamers on Xbox or PlayStation.
- Some even sign endorsement deals to become exclusive promoters of one console over the other.
- We looked at the live streams and endorsements of 16 stars to find out which side they’re on.
Professional athletes all have an allegiance to their respective teams, but many have also taken a side in the video game console market competition between Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation.
These stars are wealthy enough to own both consoles, and in most cases often do. Still, when it comes time to game in the spotlight, they all have their console of choice.
LeBron James – Xbox
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LeBron James doesn’t do any live streaming, but he put his preference for Xbox on full display when he posted unboxing videos of his new Xbox Series X when the system launched in November on his Instagram story.
Microsoft has also partnered with James and Warner Brothers for a tie-in promotion for the upcoming movie “Space Jam: A New Legacy.” Xbox will be prominently featured in the movie, while James is endorsing Microsoft’s new initiative to offer programming education to young aspiring software engineers.
Odell Beckham Jr. – Xbox
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Odell Beckham Jr. made his video game live stream debut back in September on his Youtube channel and regularly streams Call of Duty: Warzone from his Xbox.
Beckham even has his own marketing deal with Microsoft too. In October, Beckham and Xbox partnered to release a custom pair of Nike Air Force Ones and Xbox Series X controllers inspired by dreams Beckham had when he went to sleep after playing Xbox.
Luka Dončić – PlayStation
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Luka Dončić live streams games like Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, Overwatch, and NBA 2k from his Twitch channel, and the footage is always streamed from a PlayStation console.
Dončić’s girlfriend Anamaria Goltes even posted a picture of the Dallas Mavericks superstar playing Fortnite on his new PlayStation 5 when the system came out in November.
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Juju Smith-Schuster – PlayStation
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JuJu Smith-Schuster has made gaming almost as much a part of his brand as football. The Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver runs a Youtube channel with over one million subscribers and posts everything from workout videos to gameplay sessions with other high-profile gamers.
As a gaming savant, Smith-Schuster plays on Xbox as well as PlayStation and occasionally offers to play with Xbox gamers via Twitter invitation.
Still, Smith-Schuster does most of his gaming on PlayStation, as most of the videos on his channel feature PS4 gameplay.
Paul George – PlayStation
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Even at the age of 30, Paul George is an active gamer and considered by many to be one of the most skilled Call of Duty players in the NBA. George puts those skills on virutal display during livestreams on his Twitch channel, which always feature PlayStation gameplay.
George’s Playstation loyalty has also extended into a stylish business venture, as he partnered with Sony and Nike to release a custom Playstation-themed sneaker in 2018 titled “The PG 2.5 x PlayStation Colorway.”
Anthony Davis – Xbox
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Early in his career, Anthony Davis used to use NBA 2K to prepare for upcoming games and owned every version of the game dating back to 2007, according to Brian Mazique of Bleacher Report.
In 2019, Davis partnered with Microsoft to promote NBA 2K20 on Xbox One X and was featured on the packaging for a custom edition Xbox One X NBA 2K20 bundle as the cover athlete for that year’s version of the game.
James Harden – Xbox
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James Harden has been on team Xbox since the Xbox 360 days over a decade ago, first revealing his gamertag over Twitter during his rookie season in 2009.
In 2018, Harden famously teased the reveal of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 when he was seen wearing a hat with the game’s logo before the game had even been announced.
Trae Young – PlayStation
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When the COVID-19 pandemic put the 2019-20 NBA season on hold, Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young turned to gaming with other NBA stars to keep him busy. Young posted a picture of himself with a PlayStation 4 controller three days after it was announced the season was suspended.
Devin Booker – Xbox
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Phoenix Suns point guard Devin Booker occasionally streams from his Twitch channel and is always gaming on Xbox. Booker was even infamously alerted that last year’s NBA season was suspended from a fellow gamer on Xbox Live party chat while streaming Call of Duty: Warzone last March.
Ben Simmons – PlayStation
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Philadelphia 76ers forward Ben Simmons is an ambassador for the professional E-sports group “FaZe Clan.” During a house tour video with “FaZe Clan” and Slam Gaming last February, Simmons showed off his gaming setup, which featured a PlayStation 4 and several controllers.
Simmons said he originally got into gaming when he played Resistance on the PlayStation 3 in 2006, according to ESPN.
Karl Anthony-Towns – Xbox
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Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl Anthony-Towns is a vocal Call of Duty fan and has even been a paid sponsor of the game for years. He admitted that Xbox is his console of choice for playing Call of Duty in an interview with The Undefeated in 2017.
“It’s just because my hands are so big, and playing is better with an Xbox controller,” he said.
Towns even partnered with Microsoft last year to promote its games subscription service Xbox Game Pass.
Gordon Hayward – PC
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Charlotte Hornets forward Gordon Hayward is one of the few star athlete gamers that breaks the mold of playing on a console and instead plays on his own custom-built gaming PC.
“Anyone who plays PC games is more of a hardcore gamer for sure,” Hayward said in a video interview with Rolling Stone in 2017.
Hayward streams games like Overwatch, Fortnite, and League of Legends from his Twitch channel regularly, and the streams always feature footage captured from his top-end PC.
Blake Snell – Xbox
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San Diego Padres ace pitcher Blake Snell streams so often from his Twitch channel that he once stirred controversy by speaking out against MLB’s proposal to share revenue with players that sat out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 concerns during a live broadcast.
When he’s not using his Twitch platform to take stances on baseball’s financial distribution, Snell can be found playing Fortnite and has even invited fans to join his lobbies, but only fans who play on Xbox.
However, Snell has streamed PlayStation gameplay footage of one game, that being MLB’s flagship video game tie-in MLB The Show, which has been exclusive to PlayStation platforms since its inception in 2006. But starting this year with the release of MLB The Show 21, Snell and other Xbox gamers can finally play the game on their console.
Carlos Correa and Lance McCullers Jr. – PlayStation
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Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. hasn’t streamed from his Twitch channel in over a year. But when he was active on the streaming service, he and teammate, shortstop Carlos Correa could be seen playing Fortnite exclusively on PlayStation 4.
David Price – Xbox
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Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher David Price once missed a start due to carpal tunnel syndrome, and it was speculated that Price’s chronic Fortnite habit was the cause. Price denied that Fortnite was the cause but later admitted he had to stop playing in the clubhouse.
Price previously lugged an Xbox One and a TV around on road trips.
“I’ve got an Xbox. I’ve got my own backpack for it. A little 15.5-inch monitor and I can put it up anywhere,” Price told The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey. “Just two cords and just need two outlets in the wall and I’m ready to go.”
Price has also invited fans to join gaming lobbies over Twitter, but his invitation was only extended to fellow Xbox gamers.
Price used to have a Twitch channel where he streamed Fortnite, but it has since been deactivated.
Trevor May – PC
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New York Mets pitcher Trevor May is a brand ambassador for E-sports group Luminosity Gaming and runs his own Youtube channel dedicated specifically to gaming. He joins Hayward as one of the rare pro athletes to game on their own custom PCs.
Most of May’s youtube content is Minecraft videos recorded on his gaming PC. His history with PC gaming dates all the way back to his childhood when his father developed a hobby for building PCs in the late 90s, according to SNY.
The game that turned May into a hardcore gamer was the fantasy online role-playing game World of Warcraft, a game he still plays to this day, which is available exclusively on PC.
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