Unlike other recent arrivals at Breakers HQ, Campbell Knowles is unlikely to spend much time draining threes or slamming dunks.
Not in the real world anyway.
You may know Knowles, but you won't know him by that name.
If you mix in his circles, you're more likely to recognise him by the handle 'airbrn' and as the inaugural signing for the Breakaway esports team, he may just represent the future of sports.
"A future of sports," corrects NZ Breakers chief executive Matt Walsh, who obviously still has his core business of basketball to protect.
Sporting diehards will roll their eyes at the mention of gaming in the same breath as mainstream sports - but the connection is not that tenuous after all.
At the very least, gaming is as relevant to the sports market as sports betting and fantasy sports. It's competitive, and relates to the real thing mainly through the popular FIFA football and NBA 2K basketball formats.
If you need further convincing, consider that the NBA already endorses its own esports league, with 21 of its 30 franchises fielding teams.
Players receive up to US$5000 a month, which is more than actual players in the NBA's second-tier G-League.
A handful of Australian professional sporting franchises have bought and brought existing esports teams into their organisations - the Breakers are going one better by creating their own from scratch.
Industry insiders claim the All Blacks aren't far away from following suit.
While Knowles was the first contracted to Breakaway, the roster will reach 10-15 athletes by the end of this week, each on a small salary, along with branded apparel and travel provided.
"To my knowledge, there are no really significant large-brand teams here and we're aiming to be the biggest team in Oceania," says Walsh. "We've got big goals, just like our basketball team."
Walsh and his new ownership team are taking the Breakers in a new direction that makes esports a natural fit for their evolving brand.
'Breakaway' is an obvious play on the Breakers name, its logo looks suspiciously like the Breakers' Cheeky-the-Kea mascot and its new gaming 'dojo' is located in what used to be the weight room at the Breakers' Mairangi Bay facility.
In recent seasons, the Breakers basketball business has stagnated somewhat - their attendance has dropped at a time when the Australian NBL average has risen. The new owners see this is a chance to breathe new life into an ageing fan base.
"I'll be honest, I'm not the biggest gamer," says Walsh. "I played video games growing up - I don't have the time to do it now.
"But from a business perspective and a natural progression, this is a chance for us to reach many, many thousands more kids than we do through basketball.
"Kids come in here every day and now we will get different kinds of kids."
Esports have become so popular in the United States, they have transformed from an edgy, minority pastime to an almost mainstream pursuit. Parents now drop their kids at dojos like they would previously drop them at soccer or cheerleading practice.
"I still think kids should be playing outside more," insists Walsh. "But I also believe that gaming is a reality.
"Rather than try to fight it, we'll try to give them a healthy atmosphere where they can play for an hour, half an hour each day and their parents know they're coming to a safe place."
Tauranga-raised Knowles is in his second year at university, studying business management and majoring in marketing.
"I've been gaming since a young age, so I grew up with it," he says.
"I've played most of the sports under the sun - cricket, football, basketball, touch, badminton, tennis… basically, anything there is, I've probably tried it.
"You obviously dream of being an All Black or an All White, but being a professional gamer wasn't that cool or well recognised."
At 16, Knowles contested a tournament in Auckland and decided to pursue gaming as a "career".
"The chances of being that successful are quite low," he admits. "This opportunity has given me the best chance to get to that level.
"It feels amazing to be given the opportunity by the guys - I never thought it would possible. I thought I was good, but never good enough to be part of a professional organisation.
"To be standing here as part of the Breakers or part of Breakaway, it's amazing."
Knowles, now 19, will need to watch his back - Breakers players fancy themselves as pretty handy gamers and would love nothing better than to knock off the resident 'pro'.
"It's great to be part of something like this and the first person to be selected. It's a great achievement and something I can take with me for the rest of my life.
"I'm looking forward to representing everyone well."
Newshub.
