They have some time: Hayward challenges Lin in League of Legends

Jeremy Lin is out for the season, but the competitive edge is still there. The same could be said for Gordon Hayward, also out for the season, and also a competitor by nature.

Hayward is a gamer, who even won some money in a Halo Tournament prior to attending Butler University. (Hopefully the NCAA doesn’t come calling now…)

But in any event, Hayward has garnered a reputation among pro athletes for his participation in League of Legends – the biggest eSport in the world. The fact that he’s an NBA player only adds to the curiosity. He’s insisted that the down time needed to play comes during the season, with all the travel. Now, of course, he has a lot more time as he rehabs from his season-ended injury.

Enter Mr. Lin, also a gamer. In fact, there have been reports that he’s invested in esports. He’s played in tournaments around the world. Lin has even said “if I had a day to myself, I would just play video games with my brothers.” Now, he, too, has more time. So Hayward mentioned Lin when speaking of his desire to take on other NBA players in esports. In fact, he challenged Lin.

“I’m still looking for an NBA player that’s better than me at League of Legends,” said Hayward, via CelticsWire on USA Today. “I do know that Jeremy Lin plays DotA. He might be the one guy where, if he played League, he would probably be pretty decent. If he would come over to League, I would take on that challenge.”

I mean, you’ve got to scratch that competitive itch somehow, right? No word yet from Lin, but you have to think it’s just a matter of time. The two of them have a lot of it to fill.