To be honest with you I have not watched a single NBA 2K League game yet and I haven't really been following along. I was somewhat excited to hear that the NBA and Take-Two Interactive would be creating NBA 2K League as it is the first official esports league operated by a U.S. professional sports league. Organisations such as MLSE's Toronto Raptors were looking to jump into the esports world and make a splash along with 16 other NBA franchises. Being from Toronto, this is great news to hear that a huge company such as MLSE believes in esports and is willing to invest into it. I truly believe that esports will become more of a norm than an anomaly in regards to entertainment and society.
NBA 2K League started off with a Draft Combine process that saw thousands and thousands of 2K players login and try out online in January and February. There was an extensive application process that followed 2 months worth of game play and then it was a big waiting game. Only 102 players were going to be selected for the inaugural season of NBA 2K League, so the majority of players were going to be disappointed. There were some rumors and leaks that created some controversy as the community suspected that the draft was rigged / pre-determined and the entire Draft Combine was just a publicity stunt. Anyways, 102 players were chosen and then flown out to New York for an official draft. They even got NBA Commissioner, Adam Silver, to announce the 1st overall pick, Dimez (Artreyo Boyd) to the Mavs Gaming. The majority of players reside in the United States, but there was some international presence as well with players coming from Canada, the United Kingdom, and as far as Puerto Rico. From the draft day interviews, it seemed like everyone was truly humbled by the amazing opportunity to play NBA 2K for a living and be known as one of the first 102 professional athletes recognized by the NBA.
NBA 2K League will follow a similar approach to the Overwatch League in that they will play all of their games from a central studio for the first couple of years. The main purpose is to allow teams to establish themselves and focus on the level of game play and let the league focus on the production and stadium experience that will eventually be transferred to the individual teams when geolocation becomes a thing. This studio is located in New York and teams will fly in every week to play one or two games. In addition to regular season games, they have 3 tournaments (tip off tournament and 2 mid-season tournaments) to increase excitement over a long season. This is something that the Overwatch League has done as well with their Stage schedule structure and having Stage Playoffs and Champions. This has helped with the fatigue of a long season for viewers and it has also increased excitement as there are mid-season incentives for teams to fight for.
The Tip Off Tournament marked the beginning of the NBA 2K League season at the beginning of May with all teams flying into New York. All teams were ready to prove that they were the best and that their draft strategy and player development was superior to their peers. The tournament started out with a group stage with 8 teams advancing to the knockout stage. In the end, the finals were between Blazers Gaming and 76ers GC, who started in the same group stage earlier that week. Blazers Gaming beat the 76ers GC in the group stage by a score of 81-68, but the 76ers got the last laugh as they got their revenge winning 75-65 along with the majority of the $100,000 prize pool. This was only the 1st tournament of the season, but it is interesting to see where these teams drafted and what analysis thought about them after draft day. The 76ers drafted 14th with a post draft rating of a C, while the Blazers drafted 6th with a post draft rating of an A+. It will be interesting to see how both teams perform after a great start and if they can continue this momentum.
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