Artreyo Boyd, or "Dimez" as he is better known in the online world, was drafted by Mavs Gaming of the Mavericks during the NBA 2K Draft held at Madison Square Garden in April 2018, becoming the first NBA 2K player in history. The No. 1 pick in the draft, his e-sports role is that of a point guard. His shooting range, breakthrough and organizational skills are among the best in the first draft. As Dimez took the stage and shook hands with NBA President Adam Silver, he officially announced the NBA's entry into the e-sports market.
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Outside the NBA, WNBA and G-Leaguefourth alliance
NBA 2K League Player Eligibility
There are currently a total of 17 teams in the NBA 2K League, which is composed of the existing 30 teams in the NBA. They also have stars and can also knock down or overwhelm their opponents, but not on the court, but sitting on the sofa.
According to the regulations of the NBA 2K League, as long as you are over 18 years old and own a PS4 or Xbox One, you have the basic qualifications, and you can apply if you win 50 games in the Pro-Am mode of 2K18 before January. According to ESPN reports, a total of 72,000 players entered the league finals. After "physical testing" and in-depth analysis, 250 top players were selected to participate in the draft. In the end, 102 players became official NBA 2K players.
Silver officially called NBA 2K players "NBA players", identifying them as official athletes, which also means that the NBA has great respect for e-sports and players. "E-sports players are no different from professional athletes. They also train hard and need good mental quality and physical strength to become a great player." Silver also said that the players' amount of practice, time watching videos and discussing tactics are absolutely no less than those of NBA players.
Each team has 6 players, and the court configuration follows the basketball tradition of No. 1 to No. 5. Each player controls a position, plus a bench player. The player composition will be similar to the career mode (MyCareer) in NBA 2K. A fixed upper limit of ability values is set, and various types of player templates such as "sharp shooters" or "rebounding kings" are created according to the needs of the team. For example, the role of No. 1 pick Dimez is like Kyrie Irving's point guard.
The NBA is no slouch when it comes to player care. Each team has a training base equipped with professional computer equipment, as well as a private chef and tactical space. Players' salaries are approximately US$35,000 per year excluding bonuses, and they also come with benefits such as high-end dormitories, medical insurance and retirement planning.
All players will receive six-month contracts, with the league paying for their accommodation and transportation, as well as providing health insurance and a retirement plan. When the team is playing games, the league pays for food, clothing, housing and transportation during the season.
Players selected in the first round of the draft will receive a bonus of $35,000, while other players will receive $32,000. There will also be opportunities to win prizes at each tournament throughout the season, with a total of $1 million distributed in the conference championship game. In addition, players also have the opportunity to earn additional income through endorsement opportunities, including
NBA 2K League format
The NBA 2K League regular season begins in May, with 12 weeks of games followed by a three-week championship. Each team will play 14 regular season games and three championships. The championship is a key indicator of entering the playoffs. Eight teams can advance to the playoffs, which will start on August 17. The overall champion will receive $300,000, and there will be a total prize pool of $1 million for all competitions.
In 2021, the NBA 2K League will also hold its first All-Star Game.
The NBA 2K League is currently in its fifth season. The official has changed the traditional league format to a championship format. There will be six tournaments in the 2022-23 season, culminating in the playoffs in Indiana.
Only league teams are eligible to participate in the Banner Chain tournament and playoffs, while other tournaments can involve non-league teams, including amateur players. There will also be a 3-on-3 tournament this season, giving amateur players a chance to play against professionals.
league team
Currently, the NBA 2K League has a total of 25 teams from 17 teams when the league was founded in 2018 to 2023, of which 22 are affiliated teams of NBA teams. Only Dux Gaming, Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai and NBL Oz Gaming is an independently operated team.
The championship in the first year of the NBA 2K League (2018) was the Knicks Gaming of the New York Knicks. The championship in 2019 was the T-Wolves Gaming of the Minnesota Timberwolves. In 2020-21, the Wizards District Gaming of the Washington Wizards won the second consecutive championship. The 2022 champion is Milwaukee Bucks Gaming.
NBA2KE-sports new blue ocean
According to a report by the authoritative technology website Verge, the number of movie theater audiences in North America has reached a 25-year low. However, 70,000 people recently watched the famous Canadian singer Drake play the popular mobile game "Fortnite", or another data, according to Tubular Insights , in February alone, videos about "Fortnite" on YouTube have accumulated 240 million views. Last year’s NBA championship game had approximately 31 million online viewers globally, and the online viewership of the sixth season of “League of Legends” reached 36 million. In 2024, e-sports competitions will have a better chance of entering the Olympics.
Yes, the esports economy is on the rise.
A report from e-sports market research company Newzoo pointed out that the output value of e-sports in 2018 will reach NT$27 billion, an increase of 48% over last year. This comes from sponsorship, advertising and licensing, and the total investment has also reached 700 million US dollars, an increase of 48%. The total output value in 2020 will reach NT$45 billion. The report also pointed out that the number of e-sports viewers this year will reach 380 million, and nearly half of them are regular viewers, with an average output value of US$5.5 per person. It is expected to grow to US$6.6 by 2021. The regular viewers in 2020 will Will improve 50%.
Compared with the NBA's own sponsorship, advertising and licensing, which have reached a certain scale, in addition to the endorsements of the players themselves, the brands and products that the league can operate also have fixed cooperation routines, making it difficult to make explosive breakthroughs. However, organizing and expanding the e-sports league will allow the NBA to create new markets and business opportunities, from computers, wearable devices, online cross-industry cooperation to viewership, and with the original stars and resources, the NBA's e-sports league It will be a completely different path. "NBA, WNBA and G League, NBA 2K will be our fourth league." Adam Silver said, "We are serious about shaping a new professional league, and we are also very excited about what we can do in it." New sports trends are flourishing. Shaping a new generation of NBA players is an exciting process, just like the founding of the NBA and WNBA."
"I think the reason the NBA 2K League is so interesting is that we have the opportunity to reach a global audience more than any other esports competition," said Brendan Donahue, director of operations for the NBA 2K League. "Whether it's in Texas or Africa, who Don’t know the NBA? We have no barriers to entry. Everyone knows basketball, which is our biggest advantage.”
There are a total of 140 million NBA fans around the world, and most of them stick to major platforms to follow the game. According to NBA official statistics, 1.6 million people around the world play NBA 2K for more than 90 minutes every day. In addition, there are currently about 2 billion players worldwide. They are a group of game enthusiasts who are passionate about games such as League of Legends, Dota 2, and the Call of Duty series. They are not only deep players, but also the main viewers and consumers. The NBA believes it can attract this non-sports crowd to Madison Square Garden or Staples Center to watch the championship and convert this group of traditional esports fans into loyal NBA fans, whether real or virtual.
"According to data, there is a high degree of overlap between e-sports games. Most NBA 2K players also play League of Legends. I think we can "drift" players to NBA 2K," Donohue said. The goal of the NBA is simple: to convert the e-sports community into NBA consumers, buying season tickets, equipment, co-branded products or becoming spectators.
NBA team owners who jumped into an electric pit
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban believes this is a good opportunity to attract young people. "After you get to know the players in the game, you will naturally want to see real games and players play." Wizards owner Ted Leonsis, Warriors co-owner Peter Guber and the Lakers President Magic Johnson already has e-sports experience. They jointly established the team Team Liquid, which won the Dota 2 world championship last year and also participated in League of Legends games. It was the most profitable e-sports team in 2017.
Leonsis agrees with the NBA's idea. He believes that NBA 2K has the potential to develop into a platform like Facebook, which can both make money and provide content. "In the short term, it can help us expand the market, especially younger people and Audiences around the world can use Twitch and Youtube to watch the game if they have an Internet connection."
Both ESPN and Turner Sports (the operating company of NBA.com) have invested in the e-sports field, including social, digital and mobile. "E-sports will have a big impact on traditional media, and the business model and fan management will These are the two major issues of e-sports gaming and gambling,” said Leonsis.
The team owners' entrepreneurial spirit is one of the keys to the establishment of the NBA 2K League. "It is important that the owners also have ambitions to enter e-sports. Among the 10 teams in the League of Legends, 7 of them are also the financial backers." NBA bosses, this shows that they are also very knowledgeable about future industries." Cuban, who is active in the US venture capital circle, said that he has not yet figured out the long-term strategy of his e-sports team Mavs Gaming. "This is a learning process, and we will get better and better. The better."
Leonsis believes that the e-sports industry is growing rapidly, and new looks and values will emerge in two to three years. “The value I paid for buying Team Liquid was higher than buying the Washington Capitals in 1999. At that time, the Capitals had a history of 30 years. ." Many professional teams started in cities, hoping to enter national leagues, and only after accumulating a certain degree of fame and expansion can they spread to the world. But on the contrary, e-sports competitions return to cities from all over the world. "In the end, Good players may only be in their early 20s. Amateurs can rise quickly. Experience is no longer absolute. There are no race restrictions. Our number one player is African-American."
How the NBA leverages eSportsConnect with Generation Z
Generation Z is also known as the "multi-screen generation". Most of these children born after 2000 understand the world through mobile phones or tablets. They are the first native generation in human history to walk between reality and virtuality since birth. Generation Z The main entertainment is e-sports.
For the NBA, the most important purpose of developing an e-sports league is to connect with this generation Z. The appeal of real-world competitions, peripheral products or urban cohesion is no longer enough. It operates teams and player brands in the virtual world to build identity, and In the fierce competition, the image of the NBA is deeply rooted in the hearts of Generation Z. "The media and content used by the new generation are different. The NBA has a strong story, how league players train, live their daily lives, and become great superstars in the e-sports world." "Donahue said.
The NBA will cooperate with Twitch, the main viewing platform for e-sports, to broadcast live games. Information such as penetration rate and viewing time will become important indicators of the success of the NBA 2K League. According to Twitch's official data, more than 80% of its main users are between the ages of 18 and 30. According to Newzoo's research, the majority of users are between 21 and 35 years old, but most of them have established habits since childhood. Take the recently popular game "Fortnite" as an example. Many players and even live broadcasters are teenagers.
It is not difficult to see from the above-mentioned remarks of league executives and team owners that traditional media cannot attract the attention of Generation Z. This generation rooted in e-sports games needs to use virtual environments to guide them into the real world and create a The virtual professional league comes close to their world and gives players the opportunity to dream of a career. "There is a player who was originally a truck driver, and now he has the opportunity to start a new career. I think anyone who steps on the NBA draft stage will be happy." Cheers," Donahue said.
Of course, there are still many issues that need to be solved in the future, such as how to guide e-sports users to real basketball so that they can better understand the superstars on the court, as well as institutional aspects, such as the trading system and the role of coaches, or It is a more realistic question, how can the NBA 2K League create revenue and brand value.
But no matter what, the NBA has taken this first step, which is an important milestone for both the promotion of its own brand and the recognition of e-sports.
During the current epidemic prevention period, the NBA and most professional leagues around the world are suspended. At this time, it is a good time to promote and develop e-sports competitions. It can not only effectively implement social distancing, but also NBA stars are free to help promote.
The fourth NBA league, the real keyboard duel world unfolds!
