In February of 2017, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver made a huge announcement alongside Take-Two Interactive, the company that  created the world wide popular game NBA 2K. They will be partnering and creating a professional esports basketball league, with teams affiliated and sanctioned by real NBA teams.

After being very successful in the past couple years hosting online tournaments and gaining more and more online users every single year, the creators of the game NBA 2K decided it was time to take the next step.

The key was getting the NBA commissioner involved. Among all professional sports, Silver has been one of
the more outgoing and progressive commissioners, open to different business ventures and ideas across all formats. He looked at esports as a great opportunity to grow his game and bring in revenue.

NBA 2K has grown over the years. Each fall, gamers wait with anticipation for Take-Two Interactive to release the latest version. This season’s features  Milwaukee Buck’s superstar Giannis Antetokunmpo on the cover. As of February, 2K games announced that they have sold over 90 million copies worldwide.

The NBA 2K league is structured to fit about a 5-6 month schedule throughout the year, starting in early April with the tip-off tournament and finishing the end of August, where the next champion will be crowned.

The inaugural season saw 17 gamer teams affiliated with a possible 30 NBA squads. Each franchise is set up just like a normal NBA team’s front office, from general manager to coach and scouting department.

The esport teams, like the NBA, had a draft.  In order to qualify for the draft, players had to win 50 games online in the NBA 2K18’s Pro-Am mode and submit an application before the end of January’s deadline. Only the top 102 players were selected in that inaugural NBA 2K league draft out of a possible 72,000 players who qualified.

Each game will consist of 5 on 5 action just like in the NBA, so in the draft, each of the 17 teams were able to select 6 players –  5 starters and an alternate. All players signed a six-month contract to begin the season and will have their relocation and housing costs covered, as well as medical insurance and a retirement plan.

During the active season, food, transportation and housing are all covered when teams travel for games. Most of the in-season games and tournaments are hosted in the 2K studios in New York City. Players that were selected in the first round received a $35,000 contract, while the rest of the players got  $32,000. Not a bad deal for a professional 2K gamer.

Players have other opportunities to earn more money throughout the year as $1 million is split up between three in-season tournaments and in the League Championship. And players can also sign endorsement deals to earn some extra income.

The 2019 season is ready to start, and the league has grown from its initial 17 to 21, the addition of Lakers Gaming, Nets GC, Hawks Talon GC and T-Wolves Gaming. Currently, only the Bulls, Nuggets, Thunder, Clippers, Suns, Rockets, Spurs, Pelicans and Hornets not associated with gamer team, however the Hornets will join the league in 2020.

With players only signing six-month contracts, teams were only able to re-sign and protect two players in the expansion draft. In the 4th and final round of the 2019 draft, Warriors Gaming Squad made history by selecting the first ever female player in Chiquita Evans who is from the Chicago area.

The 2019 season opens up with the annual tip-off tournament hosted in the 2K New York studios. Last season’s Cinderella team Knicks Gaming, which upset Blazer5 Gaming in the first round of the playoffs, eventually went on to the finals defeating Heat Check Gaming. Knicks Gaming will look to defend their title this year.

— Jordan Goethe, Sportsfan 1330

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