We got the most realistic warning about the 2026-27 before GTA 6. Thank you, Steven Adams, for that. The Houston Rockets center had the mic at the team’s media day and delivered a league-wide weather forecast, predicting a dramatic drop in performance across professional sports come November. That’s when the biggest distraction for our favorite professional athletes will drop.

According to the veteran big man, the mid-season slump will have nothing to do with grueling schedules, ankle sprains, or defensive schemes, but rather the highly anticipated arrival of Rockstar Games’ blockbuster video game, Grand Theft Auto VI.

Adams issued his tongue-in-cheek warning directly to reporters, urging fans and analysts to adjust their expectations for both the NBA and NFL once the game officially launches on November 19, 2026.

“I will say, you guys should anticipate November,” Adams said. “The performance of the league, league-wide, GTA is dropping. So look at the NFL, look at all the leagues, and watch them plummet, mate.”

Yet the 33-year-old New Zealander doubled down on his comedic breakdown, insisting that the distraction will extend far beyond players and infect the technical side of sports operations.

“Just for the month of November, performance is going to go down,” Adams continued. “It should come back up, though. Most of the boys will get it done, but hopefully they finish the game. Coaching as well, by the way.”

“The coaching staffs are going to be horrendous, mate, just for November, but it should bounce back in December, hopefully,” Adams added, extending his fake scouting report to include front offices and strategy departments. “The coaching and scouts are going to be horrendous, just for November, but it should bounce back in December, hopefully.”

The league office might not like what that could do for ratings. But fans would be too busy playing to notice sports are looking a little wonky.

Vice City Hype about to mess with NBA calendar

While Steve Adams delivered his comments with trademark deadpan humor, his forecast taps into a genuine pop-culture phenomenon that has captured the attention of professional athletes worldwide.

GTA6 – or the government name ‘Grand Theft Auto VI’ – arrives on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S after a 13-year wait following the release of GTA V in September 2013. The delay sparked the iconic ‘We got… before GTA6’ meme. While we won’t be able to say that soon, Adams just sparked a new meme.

Not just professional sports. Millions of diehard gamers across all fields will be distracted in November. With pre-orders opening in late June and console preloads scheduled for November 12, the game has already racked up over 5.28 million pre-orders, while industry analysts project global launch-week sales could reach $5.2 billion.

The November 19 release date lands roughly a month into the 2026–27 NBA regular season and right in the crucial second half of the NFL campaign. Professional athletes have long been vocal about using video games to decompress during road trips, and several stars have already validated Adams’ lighthearted warning.

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye admitted earlier this month that he might have to delay playing until his team’s bye week to avoid losing focus. During an interview last year, Cooper Flagg flexed his portable POGA gaming system as one of his essentials so he can be ready to play GTA 6 as soon as it drops. Even LeBron James had kept his schedule wide open for the drop back in 2023.

For Adams and the Rockets, the immediate focus remains on basketball as training camp opens in Houston. Returning for his third year with the franchise following season-ending ankle surgery in February, the rebounding center will be vital to Houston’s frontcourt depth alongside Alperen Şengun.

However, if shooting percentages drop or defensive rotations break down across the league in mid-November, fans won’t have to look far for an explanation. Steven Adams already called it.