Deebo Samuel Sr. has found a way to stay competitive and interact with the Faithful in his downtime.
When the San Francisco 49ers wide receiver isn't putting in work on the field, he's likely eGaming. He often also livestreams his gaming sessions on Twitch, an interactive livestreaming service where streamers can connect directly with their audience.
Joining Samuel's livestreams has its rewards. Not only will you get to interact with the All-Pro receiver and get to know him off the field, but you might also have the chance to win some valued prizes.
If you catch Samuel on Twitch, it's likely he is playing NBA 2K. The receiver has shared to social media that the basketball game is his favorite among the eSport virtual professional leagues. In fact, at the start of the 2022 season, Samuel had racked up over 570 hours of sole gameplay on NBA 2K – not including the time spent in the game's menus and character builds.
Samuel was introduced to the NBA 2K game in 2019, his rookie year. Before discovering NBA 2K, he wasn't much of an eGamer.
"My partner was playing the game and when I was watching him play I was like, 'this game actually looks fun,'" Samuel said. "I had never played the game... Whenever I leave work now that's all I'm doing."
Growing up, Samuel not only had dreams of playing in the NFL, but he also wanted to be a basketball player. If he made it to the NBA, Samuel said that his game would most model Cleveland Cavaliers shooting guard Donovan Mitchell.
Now, the star NFL player gets to ball out on the court virtually as his own character. In an exclusive NBA2K MyTeam Crossover Series event, the eGame released three new cards in NBA 2K23 and MyTeam, each featuring a star NFL player. Samuel, Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott now have Ruby players in MyTeam, and fans can add them to their MyTeam collection.
"We had the idea to try to get three NFL guys in," digital marketing director for 2K Games Ronnie Singh (aka Ronnie 2K) said. "With the amount of hours that Deebo plays, he seemed like the obvious choice."
On Instagram, Samuel gave Ronnie2K a shoutout for "making this ball player's dream come to life in the NBA."
To watch Samuel and Ronnie2K play as Deebo in NBA 2K23 and see the behind the scenes of the receiver becoming an NBA 2K character, click here.
