NBA execs say they envision the esports league growing on an international level NBAE/GETTY IMAGES
The NBA 2K League has become a "brilliant business" in its inaugural season, aided by a "forward-thinking owner" in the Mavericks' Mark Cuban, according to ESPN's Hannah Storm. In terms of "international potential," the NBA has "grown this game at a grassroots level, actually playing the game." Storm: "But think about what they can do internationally with esports." NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said of the decision to create the league, "We already had a highly successful video game in NBA 2K -- it’s still the number one selling sports game in North America -- and we had begun looking at the esports industry. I said, ‘Let’s dip our toes in the water.’” NBA 2K League Managing Dir Brendan Donohue: "We saw this emerging space, and then you had the NBA and the NBA owners who are very bought in and bullish on esports.” Cuban said, "I was pushing hard on 2K. All you’ve got do is watch some of the viewer numbers and see the response." Silver said of the future of the NBA 2K league, “We're going to have an opportunity to do in this virtual league what we haven't been able to do in our bricks-and-mortar league.” Donohue said, "It’s going to be global. I envision having a day where we have a team in Beijing playing Sacramento. That's the future" ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 5/20).
GAME ON: ESPN.com's Tyler Erzberger noted along with its players, the NBA has been on the "forefront of the video games expansion." T'Wolves C Karl-Anthony Towns said that the NBA is "ahead of the curve" because the league and its commissioner are "in-tune with what the players are into." Towns: "The NBA listens to us. They listen to us as players. They see the world is changing, and we have a great commissioner in Adam Silver who is very, very good at listening to opinions and comments and working on them. He's always an active listener. He realized a lot of video games are being played and a lot of us played" (ESPN.com, 5/18). In Boston, Jordan Graham notes for the Celtics’ front office, this "new venture into esports is a test of how far the team can extend its brand." Celtics President Rich Gotham said, "The people who play 2K, the generation of gamers, spend less and less time in front of a TV screen and watching full-length games. This is a way that allows us to reach that audience." Many see esports as a "potentially significant revenue generator for organizations" (BOSTON HERALD, 5/21).
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