The NBA with its new 2K esports league "hopes to broaden its appeal to a new segment of fans that might not ordinarily be drawn to basketball," according to Joe Freeman of the Portland OREGONIAN. This competition "will not only be broadcast live, most likely on the video-streaming site Twitch, but also played in front of live crowds." Each team will consist of five professional gamers, but it remains "unclear how the five representatives of each NBA team will be selected and the logistics of where and how often teams will play are not yet resolved" (Portland OREGONIAN, 5/5). NBA 2K esports league Managing Dir Brendan Donohue said that teams are "required to pay players a competitive minimum salary, plus health insurance." The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Sarah Needleman noted Donohue figured fewer teams would "come on board right away, but is confident most, if not all, teams eventually will join." It also is the teams themselves that are "responsible for pulling together their esports squads." He said that Take-Two Interactive, which publishes the 2K series, will "help identify potential recruits, and the NBA teams will likely draft players from that pool." Needleman noted other details, like whether NBA players "will be involved and different ways the league will generate revenue, are still being worked out" (WSJ.com, 5/4).
DIVING IN: 76ers CEO Scott O'Neil said, "There's still a lot to learn from our perspective as to how the league will work and the infrastructure, where the revenue is coming from, how will the draft will work. But we're excited, it's a good opportunity to reach younger fans in a different way and hopefully incorporate them into our fanbase and vice-versa" (ESPN.com, 5/4). Celtics President Rich Gotham said that the team will "likely hire at least two people for the gaming operation, one to run the business side and one to focus on the competition." He added that the team will "ask for advice from other pro teams that have already waded into esports," including Serie A club AS Roma, whose owner, Jim Pallotta, is an investor in the Celtics. In Boston, Adam Vaccaro notes the Celtics "don’t yet know ... how the e-team will be branded" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/5). Gotham said that the Celtics see esports as a "way to tap into younger audiences who may be more interested in playing basketball video games than watching actual basketball" (BOSTON HERALD, 5/5). Pacers Owner Herb Simon said that he became "interested" in having his team participate when NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told him during the All-Star break of the "financial potential." Simon: "I’m very, very bullish about the league under the present leadership. ... They work really hard to keep us current and to look for opportunities. It’s a new source of income, a new source of entertainment. The young kids are playing this and they’re playing all the time." In Indianapolis, Nate Taylor noted Pacers F Paul George, an avid gamer himself, "helped persuade Simon to invest" (INDYSTAR.com, 5/4).
