NBA Star Steven Adams Predicts Pro Athletes Will Play Worse in November Over GTA 6

Steven Adams, the center for the NBA’s Houston Rockets, has publicly predicted that major professional sports leagues will see a measurable drop in performance this November, blaming the distraction of Grand Theft Auto VI. Speaking to the press ahead of the highly anticipated release, Adams said, “Look at the NFL, look at all the leagues, and watch them plummet. Just for the month of November, performance is gonna go down.” He added that things should return to normal once athletes finish the game, noting, “It should come back up though; most of the boys will get it done. Hopefully they finish the game.”

Adams’s comments extend beyond raw athletic output. He suggested that other facets of the sport—specifically coaching and scouting efforts—would also suffer during the month, though he qualified the impact as temporary. “Just for November,” he said, underscoring that he is not being entirely serious about the prediction. Yet the timing is hardly a coincidence: GTA 6 is widely regarded as one of the most eagerly awaited video game releases in history, and a large portion of the sports world, including professional athletes, is expected to dive into the open-world crime saga.

A Joke With Real Timing

The Rockets do not play on November 19, the official launch date for GTA 6, but the broader basketball schedule is far busier. There are four NBA games on that day, meaning Adams’s theory could play out across multiple teams regardless of his own team’s calendar. The timing also collides with the NFL, as November 19 falls on a Week 11 Thursday Night Football day, adding another layer of competition for players’ attention.

Adams is clearly not taking himself too seriously, but his remarks arrive at a moment when the video game and sports worlds have repeatedly collided. Before this, an NFL player blamed his on-field struggles on video games, while NFL quarterback Kyler Murray is known for playing too much Call of Duty. These examples show that the intersection between elite athletes and gaming is neither new nor unusual—Adams is simply amplifying a familiar dynamic with a comedic twist.

From Nerd to NBA

Adams has long been open about his interest in gaming, singling out titles like Dota 2 and Smite as some of his favorites. “I’m more of a nerd,” he told TMZ, a self-description that lends credibility to his willingness to joke about the game potentially consuming his teammates’ focus. His familiarity with the hobby makes the prediction feel less like a random quip and more like the musings of someone who genuinely understands both worlds.

What makes GTA 6 particularly notable is the sheer scale of its anticipation. Following years of development and a lengthy gap since the previous entry, the game has become a cultural event in its own right. Fans, streamers, and casual players alike are primed to spend countless hours exploring the game’s sprawling map, which naturally raises the question of whether that time will come at the expense of athletic performance.

Looking Ahead

Whether Adams’s prediction holds any water remains to be seen. The November 19 launch will set the stage for a month of intense gaming activity across the sports world, and observers may well watch for telltale signs in the coming weeks. If athletes are indeed spending more time in Los Santos than on the court or field, the effects could ripple through practice intensity, film study, and in-game focus.

For now, the statement is best read as a lighthearted jab rather than a serious forecast. Still, the convergence of a blockbuster game release and the peak of the sports calendar makes it a story worth revisiting. We’ll have to check back in November to see if athletes playing the game had any adverse effect on their stats, and whether the “plummet” Adams predicted becomes a running joke—or an unexpected reality.