Thanks to the NBA lockout, NBA players have been forced to look for employment elsewhere this offseason. Some have taken their talents overseas and signed deals with foreign teams, while others have stayed home and embraced the various pro-am leagues that have popped up all over the country this summer. Delonte West has even applied for a job at Home Depot! But Jazz forward Gordon Hayward is taking, by far, the most interesting approach to the lockout. Instead of going to Europe to play ball or playing ball at all, he's decided to become—wait for it—a professional video game player! The sharpshooter had already signed up with a league run by IGN Entertainment and will compete in a StarCraft II competition in early October in Atlantic City.
"I've been playing video games for as long as I can remember," Hayward said in a statement. "I'm a competitive guy, and I love the competitive nature of video games...The mental strategy that goes into planning your next move and what your opponent is going to do are skills you need to be successful playing basketball—and playing StarCraft II. If you want to be good, you have to put a lot of time and effort into it, just like with other sports. I've got the best of both worlds."
Um, okay? Sounds like a dumb career move to us, but whatever makes you happy. Just don't forget how to shoot a J while you're twiddling your thumbs all fall. [via Pro Basketball Talk]
