Ask first round NBA draft pick De’Aaron Fox of the Sacremento Kings if playing video games can help improve his game on the actual court and he’ll say “Yes!”
The former Kentucky Wildcats basketball player has inked a partnership agreement with HyperX, a division of memory vendor Kingston Technology Company, Inc. HyperX provides gamers, PC builders in the channel, and power users with high-performance components to develop gaming systems based on high-speed memory, solid state drives, headsets, keyboards, mice, and USB flash drives.
Fox calls himself an avid gamer and has dedicated himself to becoming the best athlete possible. Fox credits his quick on-court reflexes to his experience playing video games. Fox was an All-American point guard in the NCAA and has stated his life-long passion for gaming and fervently plays NBA2K along with other non-sports games such as Call of Duty, Dragon Ball Z, Need for Speed, Madden, UFC, and Clash Royale.
“I’m as passionate about gaming as I am basketball and thrilled to be a part of the HyperX team,” Fox said, in a prepared statement. “I need quality gaming gear to keep me performing at my best.”
Traditional sports and eSports are converging, according to Fox, and it was one of the reasons he decided to joins the HyperX influencer team of professional basketball players. This group now sports Canadian baseketball star and former Los Angeles Laker Rick Fox, who also is the owner of Echo Fox eSports. The HyperX influencer team has another Gordon Hayward in the squad. Hayward is expected to be the top free agent prospect in the NBA this summer since his contract with the Utah Jazz has expired.
Haywood is considered a late bloomer. He was drafted ninth overall out of Butler University in the 2010 NBA draft, but he made his first all-star appearance this year. Haywood has steadily increased his points per game average from a dismal 5.4 in 2010 to 21.4 this year.
Dustin Illingworth, influencer marketing manager, HyperX, described the signing of Fox as a thrilling moment for the company. “His extraordinary skill on the court and remarkable passion for gaming will elevate awareness of the HyperX brand among both gamers and traditional sports fans alike,” Illingworth said in a prepared statement.
HyperX is developing a full line up of gaming accessories, including gaming headsets, mice and keyboards to offers gamers a competitive edge for the eSports community worldwide.
As for Fox, he has agreed to become a brand ambassador for HyperX and plans to exclusively use HyperX gaming headsets during games. Off the court, Fox will wear HyperX gaming headsets while playing his favourite games.