If NBA Doesn’t Work Out, De’Aaron Fox Could Go Pro In ‘Need For Speed’

In the event his professional basketball career doesn’t pan out the way many people expect, De’Aaron Fox might have a great backup plan.

Fox, who’s expected to be one of the top picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft, took time out of his busy schedule to stop by the 2017 Electronic Entertainment Expo on June 11, according to The Undefeated. While there, the lightening-quick guard played a demo of the upcoming “Need for Speed: Payback,” the latest entry in Fox’s favorite video game series.

Now, everyone who goes to gaming expos tries, at some point, to show how awesome they are – or think they are — at certain games. But it seems Fox, who reportedly was unhappy with his first attempt at the game and demanded a mulligan, left quite an impression.

“He wasn’t going to let it go. He had to do it again,” “Need For Speed: Payback” producer Jeremy Chubb told the Undefeated. “That was great to see. It did surprise me that he was that good. … All day we’ve seen people do about 2:08. He got around the same time his first run. He was like a seasoned (gaming) journalist playing a racing game. The other guy who had set the previous fastest time has been playing the game for 20 years.

“(Fox) said he had been practicing on (“Need for Speed: Rivals”), so we knew he was setting up for a fast time. I reckon he could play professionally. He’s pretty fast. It was impressive.”

While he was playing at Kentucky, Fox’s fiery nature was evident to everyone watching. But it sounds like he’s equally competitive when he’s playing video games.

“I was always competitive from the time I was 10 years old to where I am now,” Fox told The Undefeated. “I actually told some of the developers for “Need for Speed” that it’s actually the only game I broke a control over.

“My brother beat me in ‘Need for Speed: Carbon’ when I was in middle school. And he started talking trash, so I threw the control at him. And I missed, it hit a metal railing and it broke.”

Fox’s passion for gaming extends beyond “NFS.” He reportedly owns two home consoles, travels with one, prefers action games over sports games and keeps up with the latest esports news.

Even though Fox isn’t big into sports video games, we’d love to see him pull double-duty and participate in the upcoming “NBA 2k” esports league.

Thumbnail photo via Troy Taormina/USA TODAY Sports Images