The National Basketball Association (NBA) and 2K parent company Take-Two today detailed plans to launch the NBA 2K League, a new professional Esports league that will focus on the NBA 2K franchise.
Starting in 2018, the league will feature teams operated by actual NBA franchises. Founding teams will be composed of five players who will use user-created avatars.
“We believe we have a unique opportunity to develop something truly special for our fans and the young and growing Esports community,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. “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.”
“We are proud to expand our strong relationship with the NBA and co-create the NBA 2K eLeague,” added Strauss Zelnick, Chairman and CEO of Take-Two. “Through the NBA 2K series, which is renowned throughout the world for capturing the authenticity of the NBA and the passion of its fans, we have a proven track record of highly successful collaboration. With this new venture, Take-Two and the NBA aim to fuel the accelerating growth of Esports and take the thrill of competition to exciting new heights.”
Details of the league itself, including players, teams and competition formats, will be announced in the coming months.
This past December, 2K launched its second official Esports competition, the NBA 2K17 All-Star Tournament, which offers teams the chance to win a trip to NBA All-Star 2017 and a $250,000 USD grand prize.
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