The NBA Is Teaming Up To Create An NBA 2K eLeague

Will an NBA 2K eLeague see a 73-win team with a unanimous MVP lose in the finals to a virtual Cleveland team after going up 3-1 in the Finals?

As professional athletic organizations start to acquire professional eSports teams as part of their business structure, the NBA isn’t going to pass up an opportunity to do the same. As such, as revealed in a press release, the NBA is teaming up with Take-Two Interactive to launch the NBA 2K eLeague.

Coming in 2018, this will become the first official eSports league owned by another professional US-based eSports league. Teams will be comprised of players acquired by owners from actual NBA franchises, with the NBA 2K eLeague set to follow the NBA’s current season structure.

That means that these teams will face off in head-to-head matches in a regular season, vie for playoffs spots in a bracketed playoffs, and ultimately face each other in a championship matchup.

“We believe we have a unique opportunity to develop something truly special for our fans and the young and growing eSports community,” Adam Silver says of the NBA 2K eLeague.

“We look forward to combining our best-in-class NBA sports team operators with Take-Two’s competitive gaming expertise to create a brand new league experience.”

Each of the establishing teams in the NBA 2K eLeague will have five professional eSports players with user-created avatars, mimicking the authentic NBA experience as much as a video game can.

It’s odd to see the NBA, as a governing body, overlook and involve themselves with Take-Two Interactive to create this league. Clearly, executives and owners of teams know the value of eSports and where the medium is headed, as indicated by teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers trusting the process and buying up two eSports teams and morphing them into one.

With the Boston Bruins jumping in on Splyce in the NHL, it will be interesting to see how other sports leagues react to this kind of business decision. More details about the NBA 2K eLeague will be announced in the coming months.