Checkmates and closeouts: Inside the NBA's quiet chess boom
NBA players are spending more time than ever working on the boards -- but we're not talking rebounds.
NBAMilwaukee BucksGiannis Antetokounmpo
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Ten seconds left. Ball in LeBron James' hands.
With the Milwaukee Bucks clinging to a two-point lead against the Los Angeles Lakers, Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo read the play. Defending James, he slipped past a screen and poked the ball loose from behind James, securing a 105-101 win on Jan. 9.
Later that night, in the bowels of Crypto.com Arena, Antetokounmpo explained his strategy on the move.
"I knew down the stretch that LeBron gets the ball. I knew that he wanted to get downhill and make the play. I knew that he's going to call the pick-and-roll," Antetokounmpo told ESPN. "I've played against him a lot of times, so I was just thinking ahead. Just to position myself to be more successful at the play."
Anticipation has long been part of Antetokounmpo's approach. It played a role in him making one of the more incredible plays in NBA Finals history, a clutch block on Deandre Ayton in Game 4 of the 2021 series.
"I saw the play coming," he said after the game.
As a 10-year-old, he learned chess at a church in Greece. On Sundays, he'd attend service. On Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, churchgoers could play activities such as table tennis and chess. Teachers taught Antetokounmpo the latter.
"Then I became really good at it," Antetokounmpo said.
Chess showed him the importance of thinking ahead -- on the board and on the hardwood.
That night, Antetokounmpo got the better of the King. Checkmate.
The two-time NBA MVP isn't the only one across locker rooms preaching the power of chess.
A fraternity has sparked with players around the league championing the benefits of chess. While skill levels range, one thing remains constant: the centuries-old game offers a different perspective to on-court play. Current and former players emphasize that the strategic elements -- anticipating moves, recognizing patterns and staying one step ahead of an opponent -- translate from the chessboard to the hardwood. Lessons from losing also apply to life.
Some NBA players have embraced chess publicly. Luka Doncic, Jaylen Brown and Jaime Jaquez Jr. have interactive bots on Chess.com that fans can challenge.
Others have brought it directly to the community. At Washington Square Park -- one of New York's most famous chess spots -- Wembanyama went 2-2 in four games against fans. @wemby/X In December 2024, Victor Wembanyama invited fans to play him at Washington Square Park in New York City. Rain didn't stop the San Antonio Spurs forward from moving pieces with anyone willing to stare him down across the board. Afterward, Wembanyama advocated for "an NBA players-only chess tournament."
Months later in Las Vegas, former NBA guard Derrick Rose organized exactly that.
Wembanyama's passion for the game carries over to his training. A frequent offseason workout for Wembanyama is to do conditioning and play chess at the same time.
Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert said he faces Wembanyama in chess "almost every time" their teams meet. He's aware of Wembanyama's conditioning and chess workouts, explaining it's all about making decisions while doing physical activity.
It replicates action on the basketball court.
"When you're just sitting and you're just playing chess, you don't have to do anything else but focus on the board," Gobert told ESPN. "But when you actually start to get some fatigue, mental fatigue, physical fatigue. I think it's harder to make right decisions, so it kind of challenges you even more."
For Wembanyama, chess provides a mental reset.
"I figure it's like hitting two birds with one stone. Sometimes you just need to get away," he told ESPN. "You don't have the focus needed to read or the focus needed to study something, so chess is good in that sense."
Many across the NBA agree.
Why has this classic board game, set on an 8-by-8 grid with 64 squares of alternating colors, begun spreading as a trending activity across the NBA? The answers lie in the stories of the NBA stars themselves and how they relate to games on and off the court.
"I wish I would've started playing in my first couple of years in the league," Rondo said. Freestyle Chess/Stev Bonhage, Fernando Medina/NBAE via Getty Images Rajon Rondo, a two-time NBA champion, said he learned chess while in the 2020 COVID-19 bubble. Rondo, who retired in 2022, told ESPN he never knew of NBA peers playing throughout his 16-year career.
Rose -- memorably spotted on Chess.com during a Drake concert -- said he wishes he began playing earlier. He learned the game more than 10 years ago after reading how it might help prevent Alzheimer's and dementia.
He became serious about chess as his career wound down, carrying a board during his last five seasons. While with the Detroit Pistons, he faced then-teammates Isaiah Stewart and Svi Mykhailiuk. He continued the trend in New York, playing members of the Knicks staff or "anybody" on the plane.
Rose agreed with Rondo that he never heard of chess being played widely across the NBA, struggling to explain why.
"I always say [it's] kind of like reading in a way. Where people really don't talk about it unless that conversation is like that dialogue comes up then you'll figure out who's reading and who's not..." Rose told ESPN. "But a lot of people just don't like talking about it."
For many in the league now, chess brings a mental challenge and an alternative to doomscrolling. Some athletes who spoke to ESPN learned the game earlier in their lives and picked it up again later on.
Jaquez often played with teammates after their UCLA practices. San Antonio Spurs forward Ingram joined a club while at North Carolina. Charlotte Hornets forward Grant Williams participated in chess clubs and tournaments growing up.
Given frequent travel time in the league, the chess app marked an easy entry point to the sport, making it so that anyone can be mere seconds from a match. Atlanta Hawks forward Onyeka Okongwu -- who took a chess class while at USC -- sees teammates playing on the plane.
"It's just something to keep your brain active, right?" Golden State Warriors center Quinten Post told ESPN. "And us athletes, we're always trying to get better and chess is something where you can clearly see whether you're getting better or not by the [rating]. For me, just tracking my progress is something that's really fun. Besides that, I just enjoy the nature of the game. There's an infinite amount to learn, which makes it very interesting to delve into."
Some locker rooms are filled with chess players -- from multitime NBA champions like Draymond Green and Klay Thompson to younger players like the Timberwolves' Jaylen Clark and Sacramento Kings' Maxime Raynaud.
Rondo said he believes the game remains an untapped community in the league. But, he emphasized Rose's tournament was "a brilliant idea to bring more awareness to people playing chess."
Post defeated Ingram in the finals, but chess became the real victor -- just like Rose wanted.
NBA legend Moses Malone, who was an avid chess player, poses for a portrait at his home on Jan. 26, 1979, in Houston. James Drake/Getty Images Levels and habits vary around the league.
Antetokounmpo doesn't play often during the season, but he played with former Bucks teammate Sterling Brown "all the time" as well as with training staff members. On a January West Coast road trip, Rondo, currently an assistant on the Bucks' staff, took a board in hopes of finally facing Antetokounmpo.
"I told him whenever he gets some downtime, I'm available," he said.
Jaquez -- who has the goal of becoming a grandmaster -- dedicates himself more during the season. Okongwu used to play more often, but not as much now.
Post truly locks in during the offseason. He'll get in a three-month phase when he grinds and enjoys chess. Last summer, he visited the San Francisco Chess Club then received online tutoring from international master Ladia Jirasek.
It's a different conversation when the season starts.
"Because when I play, obviously trying to win and it's pretty intense on your brain, right?... You get really into it and you can't stop thinking about anything else," Post said. "During the season, it's hard for me to really play. But I'll still be on Chess.com and play the puzzles."
On the other hand, Williams plays "every two minutes," saying he could even be spotted on the bus playing moments after finishing our interview. However, he's aware of his faults. Williams explained his rating isn't as high as its potential because he doesn't study.
"I play games drunk. I play games when I'm bored. I rush games," he said. "I just gotta be better at that." What chess piece would you be? Asked which chess piece best represents their game, NBA players leaned into their identities and offered a glimpse into how they see their game.
While with the LA Clippers in his penultimate NBA season, Rondo's game-day routine concluded with moving pieces.
For example, if a game started at 7 p.m., pregame rituals and warmups would run until around 6 p.m. Rondo would head to the locker room, bring out the chess board and get a game in with then-teammate Ivica Zubac right before tip. They would play "before every game," Rondo said.
It served as a form of mental preparation, activating his psyche.
"And that kind of just allowed me to get my thinking cap on a little bit earlier. And obviously thinking in strategy to start the game," Rondo said.
Rose did too, listening to Bob Marley and playing chess "all the way until I get on the court."
"It was more of, I'm a point guard. Seeing two or three plays down the line or being able to have that poise when you're getting your ass kicked," Rose said. "So being able to fight through that."
Gobert, Jaquez and Williams do the same.
A three-minute blitz match calms Williams. While eating his pregame meal or on the training table, Jaquez makes sure to play.
"I think it just locks me in. It just gets my mind sharp. Trying to assume and react to opponents' moves," said Jaquez, who's averaging a career-high 15.1 points per game this season. "Seeing things on the chess board, I think it all helps me relate to basketball in a really cool way."
It's a similar setup for Gobert, who gets a "couple games in" usually while on the massage table. When his teammate Anthony Edwards took a seat next to Gobert during our conversation, he was asked whether he plays chess, telling ESPN: "Hell nah."
"Maybe one day," Gobert said.
"Being from Chicago, certain situations or scenarios may happen that you may have to think beyond that moment or that experience. So I feel like chess helps with that," Rose said. Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images, Freestyle Chess/Lennart Ootes The Bulls held a 3-0 lead in the first-round series of the 2014 playoffs, but Game 4 was tied with 1.3 seconds remaining. The Bucks inbounded the ball on their side of the court. Jerryd Bayless faked going toward the corner before cutting under the basket, beating Rose and receiving a pass from Jared Dudley for a game-winning layup.
Years later, sitting near the Chicago River on the other side of DuSable Bridge, Rose leans back in his chair and reflects on the play. He explains that then-Bucks head coach Jason Kidd targeted him. The possession haunted Rose throughout his career, showing the importance of being singled out and how "everything can lie within one action on the floor." It's no different from chess.
In the postseason, the resemblance between the two sports heightens due to the importance of every possession, Rose said. Every move, the weight of the game is hefty.
"That one move, you have to think before you move that next piece, that it may f--- up the whole game. Even though it may seem so minute at that time, but it may mess up your guard," he said. "With you having that one piece at a place, you're leaving up or giving space for someone to prevent. So depending on that player, they'll manipulate that."
Players around the league preach similar benefits.
During his NBA career, Rondo became known for deciphering opposing plays and finding advantages. He built that reputation before he picked up chess; therefore, chess didn't have a major on-court impact for him.
Instead, his studies in the film room allowed him to have an extra step during games. He compared it to improving in chess.
"Film and studying are always great habits to pick up and that's just like in chess," Rondo said. "Only way you get better is watching your games and try to watch those back and figure out the opponent's moves." Editor's Picks No seats, no silence: A night inside the Clippers' Wall Anthony Gharib Family ties: UCLA hoops title a shared dream for Bruins Gabriela and Jaime Jaquez J.J. Post The 7-foot-4 fan in Michigan's student section? Boban Marjanović Ryan McGee 2 Related
Bullet and blitz chess help Gobert read and make quick decisions. It has helped him understand that sometimes you won't find the perfect option, but you have to make a decision.
He highlighted similarities between the strategic elements of chess and playing defense. When looking at games over the course of a season or playoff series, "it's very strategic," he explained.
"It's always a mind game I think when it comes to basketball and especially me as a big that's doing what I do defensively," said Gobert who's tied with Dikembe Mutombo and Ben Wallace with an NBA-record four DPOY awards. "When guys try to bait me sometimes or try to read what I do. And so, there's a big intimidation game and a big strategic game."
Ingram said chess helps with knowing where people are, similar to knowing the position of pieces on the board. The defense might move away when one possesses the ball. If the ballhandler doesn't properly identify the shift, they might commit a turnover. He compared it to blitz chess.
Understanding your opponent is similarly important in both sports. Williams said that preparing for what's in front of you based on consistent tactics or strategies makes the two sports similar. It can make the difference between a basket and a blunder.
Jaquez broke it down differently: in chess, sometimes what you prepare for your opponent to do isn't exactly what happens.
"You prepare for something but so many things can change throughout a game and throughout a chess match, you just got to adjust and be ready for anything," he said. "You always try to predict the next move or moves ahead. But at the end of the day, it all comes back to what is the best move in that moment. I think that also relates to basketball as well."
In terms of coaching, chess has taught Rondo patience. He said that the NBA is all about countering and making the right moves.
However, it's also about limiting your mistakes.
"And if you do, figure out how to capitalize off it," Rondo said. "Cause again, at times you might lose your queen. Do you panic? How do you handle adversity? They're all life lessons."
Rose (upper left), Grant Williams (middle right) and Onyeka Okongwu (lower left) are among the NBA players who bring their decision-making from the court to the chessboard. Freestyle Chess/Lennart Ootes Most NBA players boast a natural basketball skill set that has been refined through years of practice and competition. But sometimes factors can be out of their control when tipoff arrives. Legs might feel heavy from travel, or shots simply don't fall. The opposite might occur, too, the rim beginning to resemble an ocean after a made basket.
Chess is incomparable.
"It's no bad nights," Ingram said. "It's chess. I make the moves. I make the final decision."
On the basketball court, teammates play together. A coaching staff on the sideline offers real-time tweaks and suggestions. Stoppages occur throughout the 48-minute game.
Just like any other individual sport, chess doesn't have these so-called luxuries. It's mano a mano. Losing in chess is different from losing in basketball.
In fact, for some players, losing in chess is worse.
"I never been a boxer but I can imagine it's just like boxing. There's no one else to blame..." Rondo, a self-described "sore loser," said. "This is a thinking game. So it's not physical attributes or anything has anything to do with it. It's about your intellect."
Jaquez explained that "you can't really make up" for losing. Whereas in basketball, a hustle play is an option, in chess, it's a mental error that's difficult to come back from.
During our interview, Jaquez fully displayed his disgust with his recent losses. He sank back in his chair, his long hair weaved under his headband as he passionately recounted the journey to his current chess rating with exasperation, frustrated with the mind that got him to the NBA -- but not past a rating of 1000, as of last November.
"Recently I was at like 998. I got to 1004 and then I dropped all the way back down to 920. And that's where I'm sitting at right now," he said. "I cannot. And I'm like doing the stupidest moves, like bro what am I doing? I get so frustrated I want to throw my phone at the wall."
Chess uses an elo rating system that measures the strength of a player compared to others. The higher a player's elo, the stronger their skills. There are various time controls such as bullet (20 seconds to two minutes), blitz (three to five minutes) and rapid (10 to 60 minutes). Each mode has a specific rating. For example, world No. 1 Magnus Carlsen boasts a blitz rating of 2,869 and a rapid rating of 2,832.
Post echoed Jaquez's feelings about improving his rating, while indirectly offering advice to the forward and other chess players who struggle.
"It's a frustrating grind to try to get better. But you kind of have to get over the mindset where you're trying to grow. You can't be results-oriented and that's the same thing with basketball, obviously," Post said. "Through your youth, winning or losing, you have to have the mindset to try to get better every day. That's how you improve."
Rose agreed on the increased pain from losing in chess, especially when facing his friends. The intimacy of the sport plays a big role in the bitter feelings. Losing in chess doesn't bother Antetokounmpo since it's not his profession.
But, those experiences and feelings have captivated the NBA's grandmasters in training -- and inspired them to spread its riches.
For the 2025 "Chesstival," Rose teamed up with Magnus Carlsen, the world's top-ranked chess player, and faced off against Vidit Gujrathi (world No. 25) and Jeremiah Robinson-Earl in Las Vegas. Freestyle Chess/Stev Bonhage Rose's Chesstival tournament in Las Vegas marked the first step in bringing awareness to chess. And it may just foreshadow years to come.
He teamed up with a freestyle chess group to hold the event during the Freestyle Chess Grand Slam Tour last July. There were two tournaments, including one where current or former NBA players partnered with a grandmaster. Rondo and Rose participated, alongside Morey, Williams, Post, Ingram, Okongwu, Tony Snell and others.
For Rose, it marked the culmination of a two-year process. He announced in April 2023 that Chesstival would launch in July of that year, however, it didn't work out.
He then bumped into the freestyle chess group, specifically founder Jan Henric Buettner and COO Thomas Harsch. The two explained freestyle chess -- a variant also known as Chess960 that legendary grandmaster Bobby Fischer advocated -- to Rose. The customization of back rows for fewer draws sold him on the idea.
It led to Rose having a simple goal: bring excitement and visibility to chess and NBA players alike.
Multiple people interviewed for this story revealed they didn't know about the so-called chess community within the league until then. Ingram explained that one impact of the tournament lies in potentially making the game "cooler."
"Maybe people seeing other people play like Derrick Rose, Rondo, you would see other current [NBA] players playing," he said. "If it makes it cool for some other guys who play chess who didn't know that all these people do play chess, next time join the tournament."
With his chess investment, Rose focuses on shining a light on kids and women. He has researched the sport, striving to bring more visibility by yelling "at the top of the mountain that the game is cool." He has a three-year Chesstival paradigm with freestyle chess and plans for another tournament at Madison Square Garden next year involving kids and women.
Other current and former NBA stars are potentially following in Rose's footsteps.
Partnering with a local chess club, Wembanyama hosted "Hoop Gambit" in his hometown of Le Chesney, France, last summer. Jaquez wants everyone to learn how to play because it keeps people grounded and their minds sharp. He even joked about "maybe" initiating an NBA chess club.
Rondo wants to take it further, starting with his AAU program, Rondo Academy.
"When we go on our tournaments, Imma make them play chess instead of being on their phones and you know doing everything else. Playing video games," he said. "I'm going to have a chess tournament... I want to change the AAU grassroots program."
Thinking ahead to spread the game and find the ultimate checkmate -- on and off the court.
