Few leagues have taken the dive into the deep end of the eSports pool the way the NBA has. Things are about to go to the next level with the NBA and the world of eSports in 2018 with the launch of the NBA 2k eLeague. The eSports league was previously announced by the NBA back in February, but it was no joke. A total of 17 NBA franchises are lined up to sign players to compete in the league, with participants eventually including all 30 NBA teams.
According to Mashable, the 17 NBA teams that will be represented in the virtual league will include the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Dallas Mavericks, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Indiana Pacers, Memphis Grizzlies, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, Sacramento Kings, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, and Washington Wizards.
The NBA 2K esports league announced today that 17 #NBA teams will participate in its inaugural season, set to debut in 2018! pic.twitter.com/OWZtnuLwuz
— NBA (@NBA) May 4, 2017
There is still plenty of time to add more teams from around the league to get in on the action. NBA commissioner Adam Silver has said before he anticipates seeing every team represented in the future of the new eSports venture. Each team in the NBA 2k League will go by the NBA franchise’s name, except with “e” in front of the team nickname. So get ready to watch a digital clash between the eCavaliers and eCeltics.
The league is co-owned by the NBA and Take 2 Sports, the developers of the popular NBA 2k video game franchise. I’m just hoping there is room for an NBA Jam all-star event in the middle of the NBA 2k eLeague’s season.
Unfortunately for the e76ers, there is no tanking in this league. There will, however, be some sort of a player draft. The details for how that will work have not been confirmed. In the meantime, NBA teams are free to find their own players to sign, which some teams already have.
[Mashable]
Hey Kevin, there’s been some updates, a little bit of information leaking out. You can check it out over at https://www.thegreenrelease.com/nba-2k-blog/. Hit me up tell me what you think?