It is a true gamer's idea of hazing, although once the system is unpacked, Drummond transforms into the raw prospect. When the Pistons leave town, rookie Luke Kennard transports Drummond's PlayStation, plus two controllers. Hart owns a briefcase specifically designed to safely transport his console and a 19-inch TV, so he can play just about anywhere.ĭrummond prefers to travel unfettered. Ross likes to bring his PlayStation 4 in a backpack on those trips. Arriving at the team hotel means immediately hooking up their gaming systems. It is perhaps most valuable on the road, when teammates bunk up with nothing to do. Still, active players crush Fortnite on off days (to unwind), on game days (if only for an hour or so), after a good game (to celebrate) or after a bad game (to clear the mind). Fortnite has been a friend to him during the rehab process (much to the bewilderment of his girlfriend). In Ross' defense, he's been unusually idle since suffering a knee injury in late November. What's worse (or better): He's ponied up what we will call a three-figure dollar amount to unlock some of the game's added perks-otherwise reserved for only the most devout players-such as a Keanu Reeves-based John Wick character. As we speak in the early afternoon, he acknowledges he's already logged on earlier in the day. He only wants to play one game, and he plays it every day at least for a few hours. Now, "Fortnite is ruining my whole PlayStation experience," he says. What the hell is Fortnite? Eventually, he caved and downloaded the game. But months ago, fans who knew his online gamertag began peppering him with requests to play Fortnite. Someone's coming south, west, here, there-you have to outthink all 99 people."įor a long time, Ross was a loyal Call of Duty player. "It's so funny because people think you take it too seriously, but it's actually a little more military than people think. "It's all about awareness, knowing where stuff's at," he says. But Ross sees himself as the Magic's premier Fortnite player. Sure, Mario Hezonja is solid Jonathan Isaac is quick with his scoping Aaron Gordon is coming on. Hart admits Nance is probably the better player, but with Nance out of the picture, he holds the Lakers' Fortnite crown.Īcross the country, Orlando is Ross' turf. Some evenings, when Nance finishes his (basketball) game and Hart has some free time, they'll link up online like the good old days. Indeed, Fortnite has helped Nance and Hart stay close despite the trade. "Me, him and two other friends had four TVs in my living room, four different Xboxes, all playing as one squad." "Saturday, he was over for probably 12 hours," Hart recalls. When the Cavaliers were in town the prior weekend, Hart had a chance to reunite with his old buddy, Larry Nance Jr., who the Lakers traded to Cleveland at the deadline. Now it's fully healed, so I don't have a brace. I was trying to jam the controller and bend the plaster a little bit, but it didn't work for me. "At first, it was a couple days when I couldn't play because I had a plaster cast/splint thing on," Hart says. In February, Hart broke his left hand, forcing him off the court-and off of the sticks temporarily, too. One such session spanned until at least 4 a.m., with a 1 p.m. He can lose track of time while playing, going deep into the night with his headset strapped on, determined to win one before retiring to bed. He's on his way to the Staples Center, but he'll plug back in later that night. traffic, says he's already logged a good 90 minutes on Fortnite that day. He didn't enjoy it at first, but much has changed since then. He picked up Fortnite on a friend's recommendation back in the fall. And basically after that, it's every man for himself." (Or every team for itself-you can play in a duo or a quad.)Īmong Drummond, Ross and Hart, the Lakers rookie is the most experienced player. "One hundred people on a map, survival game-find your supplies, weapons, materials. "Basically, it's like the Hunger Games," he says. Ross, the 2013 Slam Dunk Contest champion, breaks it down.
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