Back in February it was announced that the NBA and 2K Sports would be joining forces to bring the first ever league-sponsored eLeague to the world of video games.
Every NBA team will have their own eTeam — The Knicks will have the eKnicks; Lakers, the eLakers — that will be made up of custom-created MyPlayers from the NBA 2k community.
#NBA2KELeague announces 17 NBA teams to participate in inaugural season pic.twitter.com/9bd5VqUa84
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) May 4, 2017
There will be 17 teams at launch of the league, with the other organizations joining down the line.
There will be an inaugural draft where the best NBA 2k eLeaguers will be drafted to their organization. A full league-like regular season will take place followed by an offseason that will feature free agency and possibly trades.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated that participating in this league will be like a full-time job for those drafted, as they will have to practice with their teammates in between games. The teams will be made up of five players each though there has been no official announcement regarding how one can become eligible for the NBA eLeague Draft.
“This is the first step in what promises to be an extraordinary league, bringing together the world’s best gamers and showcasing elite competition on an international stage,” NBA 2K esports league managing director Brendan Donohue said in a press release via ESPN.
And the best part about all of this is that anyone is eligible to play.
“As opposed to the NBA, where you need to be seven-feet tall or possibly six feet tall or even five-feet tall, you can be four-feet tall,” Silver said. “You can be of any sex, shape, size, ethnicity, nationality. It’s going to be a global pool of players.”
The inaugural season is expected to be five months long.
Hey Michael, Good read, there’s been a little more information come over, I’ve updated it over at https://www.thegreenrelease.com/nba-2k-blog/2017/7/23/want-to-get-noticed . Interesting times ahead!