NBA's DeAndre Jordan plays games on and off the court

LOS ANGELES — Los Angeles Clipper DeAndre Jordan has game play on his mind even when he's not running up and down a basketball court.

He's a massive video gamer — both of old-school games and new ones for his PlayStation 4 console — Jordan told us in an interview at the Clippers' training facility here. The team, 1-1 vs. the Golden State Warriors in the NBA playoffs, has its next playoff matchup Thursday in Oakland.

AIRPLAY

Jordan boards the airplane or team bus with a MacBook Air, iPod, Samsung Galaxy Note phone, iPad and a portable PlayStation Vita. But he spends most of his time on the MacBook, which is rigged up to play old Nintendo and Sega Genesis games, featuring the likes of Super Mario Bros. and Sonic, the Hedgehog.

"I have 500 games … all the old-school games. I have my headphones on, get locked in and just play. These are the games I grew up on, the ones I used to play with my younger brothers."

The games "remind me of home, and when I was younger, the fights we used to get into."

He also reaches for the Vita during travels to play NBA Jam and NFL Blitz and Blackjack. "Any type of competition will keep me locked in."

FLYING WITHOUT TECH?

He couldn't go unwired cold turkey. "I have to have it. You never know what will happen. A flight may be delayed; we may have to sit on a plane or bus." He needs "something to keep me occupied and having fun."

PLAYSTATION

He leaves the console unit at home, because otherwise "I'd have to bring three boxes with me on the plane." He plays games with his brothers and friends from high school. His favorite right now: FIFA 14, the soccer game from Electronic Arts.

APPS

He lives on Uber, the smartphone taxi alternative app, and uses Waze to maneuver around traffic in Los Angeles. But his latest app is — natch — a game: Unroll Me, a free pinball game for Apple and Android from developer Turbo Chill.

"It's a a mind-teaser type of game. It doesn't give you much time to think about what you're doing, so you go. It makes me think fast, move my fingers fast, keeps me in tune and tempo."

Follow Jefferson Graham on Twitter