Monumental Sports & Entertainment Senior VP/Strategic Initiatives Zach Leonsis "sees more unaffiliated, overseas teams coming" to the NBA 2K League, according to Fred Katz of THE ATHLETIC. The 2K League just played out its third season, and has "already placed a team in China, the Gen. G Tigers of Shanghai, the only 2K League team unaffiliated with an NBA organization." Leonsis said he believes league Managing Dir Brendan Donohue "can definitely foresee adding several teams in an Asian division, in a European division, in a South American Division." Katz noted more than 30 2K League games "ran on ESPN2 this year, though most of the league’s viewership was, as usual, online." Leonsis said, "Esports is riding (the) wave of streaming, and the thing that really interested me the most about esports is that it’s the first live-event category that’s digital-first and linear second." The 2K League now has 146K followers on Twitch, and Leonsis said the league has "far surpassed viewership expectations and goals in terms of viewership on Twitch as well as on ESPN2." He also "points out that betting on esports became more popular during the spring when video gaming events were occurring, but the major leagues hadn’t returned yet." Leonsis: "It’s realistic to believe that at some point in the future -- and I can’t tell you when -- that you could be watching a game and betting on it in a one-window experience" (THEATHLETIC.com, 10/6).
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