Arsenal defenders Rob Holding Holding and Macho Monreal played against each other in a game of NBA 2K18. They faced off in the quarter-finals of the NBA 2K18 Celebrity Gaming Tournament.
It turns out the Arsenal duo are both big fans of basketball and are looking forward to watching NBA teams when they come to London early next year.
It turns out the two of them are decent gamers too as their thrilling NBA 2K18 match was tightly contested.
Rob Holding (left) and Nacho Monreal (right) faced off in the NBA 2K18 Celebrity tournament
Coming off their North London derby clash against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday, Holding was playing as Oklahoma City Thunder, whereas Monreal chose the Denver Nuggets. It started frantically, with Monreal taking an early lead as he bellowed “this is how we do it!” However, a three-pointer in the first quarter swung the tide towards Holding.
In the second quarter, Holding took command of the game at 19-9. He exuded a far calmer manner than his opponent and it was evident in his play with spells of erratic defending from Monreal.
Holding’s dominance eventually paid off going on to win the game 39-20. The former Bolton man continues into the semi-final of the competition at the expense of the Spaniard.
Holding (who won the match against Monreal) took a picture with the Larry O’Brien trophy
Following their game, Holding and Monreal discussed the NBA London Game 2018 presented by Nike, which will see the Boston Celtics take on the Philadelphia 76ers at The O2 on 11th January 2018.
Monreal said: “It’s a special moment as we don’t have the chance to see NBA games live every single day. I went last year and it was amazing, the arena, the crowd, the game. I think everyone who has the opportunity to go, should really go and enjoy the game. I think the Celtics will win – they’re a better team now.”
Holding agreed: “I think the Celtics will win and I’m really excited to see Kyrie Irving play in London. People should just go and enjoy the game; seeing the physical presence of the players and seeing them play live is a great opportunity because we don’t really get too many chances like this outside of the States.”
Both of them are excited to see the NBA teams come to London for a one off match in January
Monreal then took some time to talk about the Gasol brothers: “A lot Spanish fans are watching the NBA because of them. They’re two idols for us fans, we are very proud of them because they’ve played for so long in the NBA now and they’ve been fantastic. Hopefully Juancho and Will Hernangomez will replicate what Pau and Marc Gasol have been able to do in the NBA and will grow up to be the new Gasol brothers.”
When asked to compare his Arsenal team-mates to NBA stars, the Spanish left-back concluded: “I think Alexis Sanchez is the LeBron James of the Premier League. He is one of the best players in the league and I have the opportunity to train with him every single morning. I know how competitive he is, a trait that he shares with King James himself.”
Fans in the UK can follow the NBA on Facebook at facebook.com/NBAUK or on Twitter @NBAUK.