NBA Star Warns GTA 6 Will Tank November Sports

Steven Adams says GTA 6's November 19 launch will hurt player and coach performance across sports leagues, predicting a one-month dip.

What happens when the most anticipated game ever drops in the middle of the sports season? According to NBA star Steven Adams, we're about to find out.

Adams, who plays for the Houston Rockets, spoke at the team's media day this week and had a warning for everyone. "I will say: You guys should anticipate November," he said. "GTA is dropping. So look at NFL, look at all the leagues and watch them plummet." He added that performance will drop just for the month of November, but should come back up afterward.

And honestly, can you blame him? GTA 6 has been 13 years in the making since GTA 5 launched and became one of the best-selling games ever. Rockstar Games always draws a crowd, but this wait has made the hype a little feral. Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick even predicted earlier this year that "a lot of people will be calling in sick on November 19." Burger Motorsports has already given all its staff the day off when the game drops.

So Adams isn't exactly being dramatic. He's pointing at a real cultural moment. When GTA 6 arrives on November 19, it's not just gamers who'll be glued to their screens—it's athletes, coaches, and probably a few referees too.

You'd think coaches would have a plan to keep their teams focused on training. But Adams reckons the coaches will be too busy playing GTA 6 themselves. That's right—the people in charge might be the worst offenders.

Now that Adams has put this out there, you can bet at least one team will try to use it to their advantage. Maybe they'll train even harder in November while everyone else is distracted. Or teams will just keep a closer eye on their players to make sure GTA isn't messing with their performance.

Either way, November is shaping up to be a wild month for sports. Will you be picking up GTA 6 on day one, or will you be one of the few still focused on real-life games? Let us know what you think!