A new type of athlete officially became part of the NBA family this week, with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver crystallizing the league’s focus on esports and welcoming 102 gamers to the NBA 2K League at its official draft on Wednesday.
At Madison Square Garden’s Hulu Theater, Silver referred to the NBA 2K League, the first esports league operated by a professional sports league, as the NBA’s “fourth league” alongside the NBA, WNBA and G League. He said it wouldn’t be treated differently despite being based on Take-Two Interactive’s video game and not on the physical game itself.
“This is the fourth league in our family, and that’s exactly as we’re treating it: one more professional league,” Silver said. “I think what’s so exciting today in particular is that we’ll be welcoming a new generation of athletes, of NBA players, into this fourth league.”
The NBA is building the NBA 2K League as though it’s “going to be around forever,” said Silver. He’s bullish on its potential for expansion, and is looking to get all 30 NBA teams onboard by the league’s third season.
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“We view this in the same way as those other leagues as something that we’re going to develop over a very long time,” Silver said.
Within a few years, he forecasts an expansion globally where there’d eventually be teams based out of foreign cities from Shanghai to Tokyo.
A ‘Dream Come True’
For the 102 players who were drafted and given official NBA contracts to sign this week, the NBA 2K League is much more than just a business opportunity, it’s a dream come true.
Player-after-player interviewed after their draft echoed similar words of disbelief that their hours of gaming had finally paid off in the form of a professional sports contract. That sentiment carried through to the highest levels of the NBA.
“I think it’s important to take a step back when we think about the players, because 14 months ago, 14 short months ago, there was no path to becoming an esports professional for them,” said NBA 2K League Commissioner Brendan Donohue. “They were playing and becoming the best players in the world out of the love of the game and because of their love of competition. And so today, it’s exciting because we’re going to reward them for that genuine passion and dedication to the game.”
Silver said part of the NBA’s excitement for the NBA 2K League is that it opens up the opportunity to become a professional athlete to “a much larger pool of players,” democratizing sport by rewarding hard work, resilience, discipline, dedication and teamwork above physical prowess.
“It’s a different kind of skill here. In terms of the gaming community, this is something where virtually anyone can set out to try to achieve at the highest level,” Silver said.
Silver is adamant that the professional players drafted to the NBA 2K League be referred to as athletes.
“I see them as athletes because I think it requires a unique combination of physical and mental skills to excel. And I think it’s not that different than in the NBA where of course you have to have incredible physical skills, but our very best players bring a certain mental focus and prowess to the court, as well,” he said. “It’s a different set of physical skills here certainly, but just to watch these gamers/athletes compete, what I’ve read about the training regimens they go through, it’s incredibly hard work. We’re already working on how we can avoid burnout among some of these athletes because they go at it so hard.”
With the post-draft celebrations now over, each player is shipping off to their respective cities to begin a month-and-a-half-long stint of intense training with their new teammates.
Each of the 17 teams now have six players — five starters and a wild card — and they all must learn to work together before the inaugural season of NBA 2K League kicks off at the end of next month.
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