Jeremy Lin never got a chance to play basketball at the KeyArena. The Seattle SuperSonics left to become the Oklahoma City Thunder two years before Lin made his debut in the NBA in 2010. The KeyArena to him and many other esports fans and players now is best known as the home of The International, the annual Dota 2 tournament, which has been held in Seattle since 2011.The prize pool for this years tournament is just over $20 million, the biggest ever in esports history. Its a prize pool larger than that of the Masters, Tour de France or the Kentucky Derby. The winning team will walk away with a little over $9 million. To put that figure into context, Lin made $762,195 during the height of Linsanity while he was with the New York Knicks four years ago.There was a basketball tournament this year that had a $2 million cash prize, and people were saying how crazy that was, and this is 10 times that, Lin said. It just shows that gaming is so much further along than people understand. If you look globally, gaming is huge, and it just shows theres significant interest and its accessible. Anybody can play anytime, anywhere, as long as you have good internet.Lin was one of the thousands of fans who packed the KeyArena for five days leading into Sundays final. He has been playing Dota since he was 16 years old with his brothers Josh and Joseph. He says he still plays three to four times a week, even during the NBA season, especially on the road, when hes in his hotel room.They were playing and I started playing just because I wanted to hang out with them, Lin said of his brothers. At first it was an awful game, because I was going 0 for 10 every single game with Bounty Hunter. How do you go 0 for 10 with Bounty Hunter? But eventually when I started to learn the game and get better, I started realizing this is like basketball. Its about having each others back, being loyal, being at that right place at the right time, outsmarting the other team. And theres this huge mental component in this competition that Ive always thrived off of. Thats why I love playing it.As he walked around the KeyArena, passing fans in costumes and hearing the roar of the sold-out crowd in the background, he said there isnt much of a difference between esports and traditional sports, even though traditional sports fans might be confused by the draw of watching two teams of five players, enclosed in soundproof glass cases, play on giant HD screens hanging above them.You get to see the best players, you get to experience the environment, and Im just a fan of the game, Lin said. Its like going to the NBA Finals and watching it. Any basketball fan would want to do that, so for me, I love coming here and experiencing it. Its not any different than traditional sports. When we come here and we watch these players playing in front of us, theyre doing things we cant do, which is really the big draw.Theyre doing something that everyone loves doing, but they just do it at another level and theyre extremely talented. Thats why you have this fanaticism, and thats why you have people lined up at midnight asking for autographs.Its really not any different than sports, Lin continued, except with sports theres more of a physical component of you doing it yourself, whereas in video games youre just controlling a hero that does the same thing. Its the unique talent of the players that is the draw.The popularity of the game internationally and the accessibility of the game, which is free to play on your computer, lead Lin to believe that maybe Dota or esports, in general, could one day officially be part of the Olympics. If youre laughing, take a look at some of the sports currently in the Summer Games rotation that have a fraction of the fan base and prize money currently involved in esports.Itll take a long time, but if it were up to me, Id wish it were faster, Lin said. If Im guessing, itll take five to 10 years.Theres no ceiling in terms of how big it can get, he added. I think e-gaming is going to follow the trends of society, when you look at Pokemon Go and how accessible iPhones and iPads are. Now everyone has access to iPhones and iPads around the world, and thats going to make e-gaming grow even more. Everyone is investing a lot of money in tech. I have no idea how big its going to get, but I do know this is only the beginning.Lin, who signed a three-year, $36 million deal with the Brooklyn Nets last month, is looking at getting more involved in esports by investing in an esports team. He wouldnt be the first athlete to do so, after Rick Fox founded Echo Fox last year. Shaquille ONeal, Alex Rodriguez and Jimmy Rollins also teamed up to invest in NRG Esports.Im looking into these opportunities, and its authentic, because I play the game three to four times a week and I have since I was 16 years old, Lin said. Ive been playing for the last 11 years, every week, several times, so its something I love doing. So Im definitely trying to get into this space as much as I can.Were still talking about endorsements. Im an NBA player, and Im taken care of very well. When I endorse a team, Ill take care of the team very well. I hope to [take] my experience from the NBA and bring it to esports.Despite the growing prize money and Lins love for the game, however, dont look for Lin to make a run at a second career as a professional Dota player after hes done with basketball.I have too much respect for what theyre doing, and Im too old to do what they do, Lin said. These are all young guys, and Im going into the prime of my basketball career, so Im going to stay in my lane. China Jerseys Cheap . Bryzgalov stopped 25 shots on Saturday in the Oklahoma City Barons 4-1 victory over the Abbotsford Heat. The Oilers signed Bryzgalov to a one-year $2 million contract last Friday after shedding payroll by dealing defenceman Ladislav Smid to the Flames. Fake China Jerseys . LOUIS -- Lance Lynn was one of the more enthusiastic participants as the St. https://www.chinajerseyscheap.us/ . The Australian is competing in his final season in Formula One and still looking for his first win this year. He will look to end Vettels run of six straight race wins on Sunday. Webber, who is fifth in the championship, earned his second pole from the past three races and 13th of his career. China Jerseys Stitched .500 on the season. The Jets are now 0-5-1 in the second game of back-to-backs. The game started the same way the Vancouver game started the night before, with the Jets taking the first two penalties of the game and killing off the first, but the Oilers getting on the board first, scoring on the second man-advantage. Cheap Jerseys From China . Gerald Green and Miles Plumlee? Green had bounced around the NBA when he wasnt playing overseas. The Pacers gave up on Plumlee after just one season. Now Green and Plumlee are key cogs in the Suns surprising breakout season. DETROIT -- Minnesota Vikings receiver Stefon Diggs is inactive for Thursdays game against the Detroit Lions.Diggs was questionable on the teams injury report Wednesday with a knee injury, and losing him in a matchup of first-place teams is a blow for Minnesota. Cordarrelle Patterson is expected to start in Diggs place.Vikings cornerback Terence Newman is out with a neck injury and is expected to be replaced by Trae Waynes.Lions linebacker DeAndre Levy is inactive with a kneee injury.ddddddddddddHeres the list of the inactives in the opener of the NFLs tripleheader.---MINNESOTA AT DETROITVikings: DT Sharrif Floyd, CB Marcus Sherels.Lions: LB DeAndre Levy, S Don Carey, RB Justin Forsett, OL Joe Dahl, OT Cornelius Lucas, QB Jake Rudock.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '