The NBA and Take-Two Interactive, the developers behind the popular 2K basketball video game, have partnered up to create an eSports simulation league officials from both entities said in a press release from the NBA. The league is currently expected to start in 2018.
The framework for the league is pretty interesting. Per NBA commissioner Adam Silver and Take-Two Interactive Strauss Zelnick, the league will feature all 30 NBA franchises with five human players per team. The season will mirror the real-life NBA season and is set to feature trades, salaries, and practices. Essentially, it will be like a full-time job for the eSports players.
Silver did not say how much the NBA will interact with the simulation league, but the premise seems to imply that there will be substantial financial implications.
The specifics are not clear yet, however. The draft of esports talent has not been set, the schedule has not been drawn up, and every franchise has not committed to participating yet. There are still some hurdles to cross, but the base idea seems intriguing. There will be plenty of merchandise available for purchase too. Silver and Zelnick said the league will have events, sell tickets, have sponsors, and also licensing rights so fans can stream the games.
Esports have become a sweeping sensation, and the NBA is taking notice. Philadelphia 76ers ownership recently purchased esports group Team Dignitas, who has teams across several games. The Houston Rockets hired a director of esports to search for investment opportunities in the gaming industry. The Bucks, Warriors, and Grizzlies have also made investments in esports teams, players, and leagues. Jonas Jerebko of the Boston Celtics also purchased his own eSports team.
This NBA 2K league seems to be in the very early stages of production but if done correctly could be a smash hit. The most recent iterations of the game, NBA 2K17, is on pace to be the best-selling sports video game ever and is nearing 7 million copies sold since its release in September 2016.
