If you’re good enough at “NBA 2k,” you soon could have the chance to take your talents to the parquet on Causeway Street.
No, you won’t be signing on to get a forearm shiver from Washington Wizards forward Kelly Oubre, but you could be squaring off against a different breed of temperamental competitors: gamers.
That’s because the Boston Celtics are one of 17 teams that will participate in the “NBA 2K” esports league, the NBA announced Thursday. Each team involved is signed on for three years at about $750,000, according to ESPN.
A joint project between the NBA and “2K” developer Take-Two Interactive Software, the esports league is the first to be operated by one of the United States’ four major pro sports leagues.
“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 statement.
First announced in February, the “NBA 2K” league will debut in 2018 and will put gamers through a recruiting process similar to what NBA players must endure.
Participants will take part in a virtual combine and draft, which they hope will result in them being one of five gamers picked by each team. Once selected, they’ll play in a regular season that culminates in a playoff, which NBA commissioner Adam Silver indicates could take place at actual NBA arenas.
Although the league is the first of its kind, it likely won’t be the last, as the NHL has expressed desire to start its own esports league.
Thumbnail photo via Winslow Townson/USA TODAY Sports Images
