NBA Star Jeremy Lin Says "DOTA Is a Way of Life"

NBA star Jeremy Lin is featured in a new documentary about Valve's DOTA 2 game

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Complex Original

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It should come as no surprise that pro athletes are drawn by their hyper-competitive nature to eSports, but NBA Star Jeremy Lin has taken it a step further. In an interview with onGamers, Lin says that, to him, developer Valve's DOTA2is “more than just a game” because it allows him to stay in close contact with friends and family even when they move apart. As well as - we must assume - destroying them with his Ultimate Power.

Lin will be featured in a new documentary from Valve called Free to Play (trailer below) about the DOTA 2 community and the annual International championship to be released on March 18. In which he is featured as quoting that “DOTA is a way of life.”

"To me, my brothers, and friends, we have a group of five that always love playing together and we've all been playing together since our sophomore year of high school," Lin said, recalling playing the original DOTA. "So when I say it's a way of life, it's more than just a game, it's a chance for us to play and catch up on life. It's something that's been really incorporated into our lives for years and years, consistently, no matter where you are."

Lin also talked about the strategic similarities he sees between his profession and the game. "I think it's very similar when you want to go professional in any type of competition. It takes a ton of work, it takes a lot of strategy, it takes a lot of commitment and takes a lot of discipline", he says. "So I would say DOTA and basketball are actually kind of similar in the fact that they're 5 on 5 games. In basketball you have the point guard, the wings and forwards. In DOTA you have three categories too; agility, strength, and magic/intel. You definitely have to understand the game and work on it, hone your skills."

Lin says that although traveling with the Houston Rockets he still finds time to sneak in two or three DOTA2 matches per week.

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[via onGamers, IGN]

 

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