I am replacing Phoenix Suns basketball with what?

Without Phoenix Suns basketball, did I really just watch 20 and 30-year-old men I have never met play video games and HORSE?

My last article merged the Phoenix Suns with my current stay in shelter reality; a bit of a sentimental piece with memories, family connections, all intertwined on my home court with Phoenix Suns. Not going to lie, that is much better than what I’m about to discuss. I just spent some of my very unimportant quarantine time watching athletes play video games and H.O.R.S.E. on ESPN.

Yes, there were tidbits I gleaned about my favorite current Suns, Deandre Ayton and Devin Booker. Were those tidbits probably meaningless and based on nothing? Yes, to be honest. Fellow Valley of the Suns writer, Adam Stratton, recently wrote about the nuances of Ayton and Booker playing NBA2K; much more analyzed and detailed than what I took from the viewing.

But I watched it. I sat there and enjoyed peering into the personal lives of some of the players I follow. I took note of Ayton wearing a Milan AC jersey and loving to play with the Phoenix Suns on NBA2K, Bookers gaming room and domination, Patrick Beverley talking trash like he does on the court (or at least until Ayton demolished him).

The H.O.R.S.E. competition on ESPN gave a bit more of a glimpse into players’ homes. Do they have nice homecourts or shoddy hoops similar to what adorns my driveway? I was entertained by one of Chris Paul’s kids talking a bit of trash to his dad.

At some point while sitting on that couch watching the NBA2K championship pitting Deandre Ayton up against the stalwart that is Devin Booker, my wife took note. She teasingly reminded me of the many times I gave my ‘opinion’ to my own boys of watching people play video games on YouTube.

Maybe I get it a bit more? There is a natural curiosity to peek into celebrities’ personal lives. We tend to see our sports stars as one dimensional, basketball players. We like to see that they are similar to us, and this was magnified by my boredom on seemingly day 3,243 of this shelter-in-place.

It’s possible my brain is searching for ways to entertain itself and sees a large missing form of entertainment it’s used to is gone – basketball. I suppose many of us who are stuck at home are actively searching for entertainment.

For me, this included a form of sports I am not used to watching (video games) played by the sports stars I am used to watching.