NBA 2K is the latest esport to fill the gaps for fans
With the sports world on pause for a pandemic, esports have an unprecedented opportunity to fill the gaps in fan entertainment. The NBA’s 2K League is doing so is by inviting amateurs into the pro action.
On Friday, the 2K League announced a 3-on-3 tournament in which fans are able to compete against professional video gamers and social media influencers for the chance to play against NBA 2K League teams and a share of a $25,000 prize pool.
“Our players and guys who have been in the league for years have been looking for ways to engage fans more and grow our league,” Charlotte Hornets manager of esports and innovation Nicole Blackman said. “And I think we all collectively feel like we want to make the best out of a bad situation.”
The tournament is part of a larger effort by the 2K League, and the esports world as a whole, to become a primary source of entertainment for basketball fans with the NBA season suspended for at least 30 days due to coronavirus.
Like the NBA, the 2K League postponed events through March, beginning with its season-opening tournament scheduled for March 24 at the league’s studio in New York City. But since the transition to fully virtual events is already conducive to esports, insiders believe 2K League play will resume long before the NBA season does.
“It is sort of an opportunity for the 2K League in particular,” Blackman said. “Without traditional sports, this is as close as many of us are going to come to live basketball for some time probably.”
Until official games return, NBA players are also embracing the video game. The Phoenix Suns, for example, are playing their remaining schedule online with current NBA players, such as Ty Jerome, Devin Booker and Mikal Bridges, and other professional athletes like NFL safety Tony Jefferson and three-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen.
“The Phoenix Suns will continue to give fans a virtual fix as the first NBA team to continue the 2019-20 season on NBA 2K20,” a statement on the Suns website said. “During this unprecedented time, the Suns social media team developed an innovative opportunity to leverage their platforms to bring the basketball community together and drive a positive conversation in the social space.”
The team’s game against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks last Friday reached over 12,000 viewers on Twitch, putting it among the top 10 streamed channels on at the time. The Suns’ next virtual game will take place on Friday at 9:30 p.m. against the Los Angeles Clippers. Those games can be streamed on Twitch.tv/Phoenix_Sun.
As other professional sports embrace esports amid coronavirus postponements on their mainstream channels, the NBA could follow suit with similar promotion of NBA 2K. NASCAR, for example, is running a virtual racing event with its top drivers this Sunday. The race will be broadcast on FS1 during NASCAR’s regular slot and will feature its usual FOX Sports announcers.
The NBA has not yet transitioned to showing 2K events in place of its slotted games, but more overlap between the 2K League and the National Basketball Association is expected in the coming weeks.
“The 2K League has typically stayed very separate from the NBA brand and current NBA players,” Blackman said. “Obviously with the way things are going, they’re kind of reevaluating that stance.”
The 2K League is set to begin it’s third season with 23 teams, almost all of which are affiliated with an NBA team. Teams compete in weekly 5-on-5 virtual basketball games using unique characters (not existing NBA players). The Charlotte Hornets are one of the latest franchises to join the league. Its Hornets Venom GT affiliate is set to begin its inaugural season this year.
Charlotte’s six-person roster participated in the team’s Media Day last week. Since then, the league’s season has been postponed, but not much has changed in terms of how players are practicing.
“Most of these guys have been playing online together for sometime now,” Blackman said. “It’s kind of back to how things were and what they were comfortable with before they were 2K League players.”
Blackman said that it was more of a challenge for some team members to communicate face-to-face, and that the quarantine situation is pretty normal for them.
“Most of these people are used to being inside their room all day,” Hornets Venom center Xavier “Type” Vescovi said about players in the 2K League. “Some of these guys haven’t even been outside their room, so for them to get on the stage and have people in their face talking to them while they’re trying to perfect their dribble move, they get rattled.”
The team typically practices 12-14 hours each day online, with the training schedule remaining consistent despite coronavirus. Blackman said computer monitors were moved into the players’ apartments from the team’s training center at Spectrum Center. Other than that, it’s business as usual.
“They’re practicing separately, but through Discord they’re continuing to communicate and practice together,” Blackman said. “It’s not actually that different from what they’re used to.”
The 2K League is in the process of accommodating a season without in-person events. That includes minor fixes, such as ensuring that game integrity can be maintained, addressing lag issues between East and West coast teams and incorporating partner branding online.
But all of those things are surmountable unlike a global virus that has become insurmountable for other sports.
