The NBA 2K growth was in line with the broader esports industry, which drew in 485 million viewers in 2020, an 11.7% increase from 2019, according to Newzoo, while revenue rose 15.7% to $1.1 billion. “The NBA teams certainly can drive local revenue, selling partnerships, selling content, and selling merchandise,” Donohue said. “The model that exists on the NBA side for the most part carries over to the 2K side.” In three years the 2K League has inked partnerships with AT&T, Snickers, New Era Caps, Panera Bread and more.
eSports Rumors
Simmons isn’t wasting any time growing into his role as a spokesperson. The Sixers guard will be one of the keynote speakers on day three of the ESports Business Summit next month. The event will be held virtually October 27-29, but for someone who can sometimes be the first one out of the Sixers locker room after games, and is often guarded with how he is portrayed and who has access to him, Simmons is more than comfortable in the gaming world.
San Antonio Spurs great Tony Parker is an avid esports fan and is set to be the ambassador for the first Rainbow Six World Cup 2021. According to the website, the event will feature players from 45 countries and regions across the world will compete at the highest level to become the one team that will make history by bringing home the very first Rainbow Six World Cup trophy.
Esports and gaming organization FaZe Clan has announced the signing of LeBron “Bronny” James Jr. The news was posted via two FaZe Clan tweets on Sunday afternoon with one including a hype video of some of Bronny’s highlights in basketball, as well as video games, namely Fortnite and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.
Earlier this week, Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons joined FaZe Clan as a content creator under the name “FaZe Simmo”. Other athletes currently on the FaZe Clan creator roster include Pittsburgh Steelers wide received JuJu Smith-Schuster (FaZe Juju) and Miami Heat player Meyers Leonard (FaZe Hammer).
It’s rare to see a No. 1 overall draft pick winning a championship in their first year of competition. But that’s exactly what happened Friday night as the Washington Wizards-owned Wizards District Gaming won the NBA 2K League title, fueled by a stellar performance by rookie point guard John “JBM” Mascone. “I was just telling my parents I’ve been playing sports for 18 years and I’ve never been so emotional,” Mascone told ESPN after the championship.
