#pro-player

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Shaquille O'Neal Admits That Esports Pro-players Are Athletes

In a talk with Jake Lucky of Full Squad Gaming, Shaq gave his perspective on some of the pro-player esports. The response is quite different from the general opinion and believes that pro-players should be classified as Athletes.

I [think of pro-player esports as an athlete]. "I want to give you your compliments, and I'm happy for you," said Shaq.

Shaq goes on to describe examples of times he took part in a tv show that Shaq Versus mentions. which has 10 scenes in total. The NBA stars went up against famous sportsmen in their own sport, including Michael Phelps, the competitive swimmer and the most decorated Olympian of all time. Shaq visualized the series as the most difficult thing I've ever worked on in my life. He uses these examples to visualize that being an athlete is not only about physicality, but also about having an accurate mentality.

Fifteen percent of play is physical… everything else is psychological, says Shaq. If you say you're a sportsman, I bet you are, because I can't do what you do.

Shaq compares esports with traditional sports by predicting career age and explains that competitors from the two ecosystems have a limited time to always compete.

You guys don't really have a long life, I think it's three to five, five to six years. "You know, it's the same with the NBA and you know the NFL, so yeah, you guys are sportsmen," he said.

Shaq is one of the first traditional sports stars to take part in esports. In 2016, he made an investment in NRG Esports. She competed in ELEAGUE's Street Fighter 5 Invitational Celebrity Showdown in 2018 alongside Jimmy Rollins of Baseball and Eva Marie of WWE. What do you think?