( CNN ) -- Between games , practices , travel and promotional appearances , you 'd think that the NBA 's multimillionaire stars would be too busy . But most NBA players say they find time to play video games every day . In fact , the NBA claims that 85 percent of its players are gamers . `` I would say I play about three or four hours every night , '' says Orlando Magic Center Dwight Howard . `` I 'm a night owl , so after games I 'm up till about 4 or 5 a.m. playing video games . '' `` That 's all I do , '' says Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant . `` If I 'm not on the court , I got the controller in my hand . '' `` With the schedule we have this year , I do n't get to play as much as I want to , '' says LeBron James of the Miami Heat . `` But whenever I get some down time I play some Xbox . '' As the NBA playoffs get under way , half the league 's players are done for the season , giving them more free hours to fire up their video game consoles . The other half will have extra time off between playoff games , thanks to the league 's stretched-out postseason schedule . `` I play a little bit , but I played more during the summer , '' says Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics . `` This season is so crammed , it 's tough . '' The league 's rising young stars are n't immune from the thrills of gaming , either . Ricky Rubio ( Minnesota Timberwolves ) , Kyrie Irving ( Cleveland Cavaliers ) and John Wall ( Washington Wizards ) , made a pit stop while in Orlando for the 2012 NBA All-Star Game to check out the new `` NBA Live 13 '' game at Electronic Arts ' Tiburon studio -- the developer behind sports franchises like `` Madden NFL 12 , '' `` NCAA Football 12 '' and the new `` Tiger Woods PGA Tour Golf 13 . '' NBA fans will have a choice of simulation games next season when `` NBA Live 13 '' tips off against `` NBA 2K13 . '' It 's been a few years now that gamers , and NBA players , have had no choice in pro-hoops games ( outside of the arcade game , EA Sports NBA Jam ) . `` I 'm excited they brought 'NBA Live ' back , '' says Durant . `` I have n't talked to anybody yet ( about the cover ) . I 'm sure I 'll get a call here in a few hours or a few days or so . I have n't heard about it , this is my first time . I 'm excited . '' Durant was the cover athlete for `` NBA Elite 11 , '' a rebranding of EA Sports ' basketball franchise that was canceled because of horrible community reaction to the glitchy gameplay . But he 's still up for being on the cover of the new game . `` I 'm a '2K ' person now , '' says Andre Iguodala of the Philadelphia 76ers . `` I might give 'NBA Live 13 ' a try , but '2K ' has taken over the basketball scene . '' Although a knee injury to New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin knocked him out for the season , he 's still playable in `` NBA 2K12 '' -- and his gameplay has improved thanks to not one , but two player rating upgrades by developer Visual Concepts . `` I actually do n't know the exact numbers , but I know for a while I was in the 50s , I believe , '' Lin says . `` I think ESPN had me as the 467th best player out of 500 or something like that coming into the season . '' Now that Lin has earned a 75 in the game , up from 56 when he was a bench player , he 's not focusing on how high his player rating can go . `` I 'm not really too worried about that , '' he says . `` I do n't have a set number or goal , but it 's cool to be able to hear about progressing . That 's the important thing , is that me and my team continue to improve . As long as we 're headed up , I think we 're good to go . '' New York Knicks star Carmelo Anthony is happy for his teammate 's player rating upgrade . `` It 's getting up there , '' he says . `` It should be in the 90s . If I have a chance to play '2K12 , ' he 's definitely in my starting lineup . '' But not everyone is crazy about their NBA 2K12 player ratings . And yes , they do check out their in-game attributes . `` I like some of the ratings , but I feel like some of them could be increased a little bit , '' says Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward . `` Defensively , I think they 've got my grade a little low . I think they had one of my teammates , Al Jefferson , a better perimeter defender than me . I was like , 'Come on now , that ca n't happen . ' With time , they 'll probably increase them , so I 'm not too worried about it . '' Utah Jazz teammate Jeremy Evans , winner of the NBA All-Star Slam Dunk Contest , would also like to see his player ratings in NBA '2K12 ' improved . `` When I play '2K12 , ' and sometimes I play as myself , I get mad , '' he says . `` It 's like , ' I would have dunked that in the NBA . ' It 's a great game , but sometimes they do n't actually make you like you want to be made . '' Evans grew up on sports games like `` Double Dribble '' and `` NBA Live '' on the Nintendo 64 and now plays `` FIFA 12 '' and the `` Call of Duty '' series . When it comes to video games , some NBA players will try anything . `` I played everything ... football games , basketball games , baseball games , Donkey Kong , and all of that , '' says Los Angeles Clippers star Blake Griffin . `` Actually , probably my favorite game to play is 'Tiger Woods Golf . ' It 's always been fun . I 've played it for a long time . '' So the next time you 're on Xbox Live , it may just be an NBA All-Star in that game world with you .
The NBA claims that 90 % of its players are gamers . Thunder forward Kevin Durant . ` ` If I ' m not on the court , I got the controller in my hand '' NBA fans will have a choice of simulation games when ` ` NBA Live 13 '' tips off against ` ` NBA ' ''