The National Basketball Association has teamed up with NBA2k to launch their new professional eSports league for online gamers. The NBA 2K League is the first official esports league operated by a U.S. professional sports league.
Pistons GT is one of 17 franchises participating in the inaugural season of the NBA 2K League, featuring the best NBA 2K players in the world.
The NBA 2K League will make its eSports debut in Downtown Detroit, when the Pistons GT and Cavs Legion GC take part in pre-season play. The home-and-home showdown, open to the public, will be played at Campus Martius Park on Tuesday, May 8 from 11-1 p.m.
Tuesday's scrimmage will prepare each team for NBA 2K League regular-season play which begins on May 11.
The Draft
The Pistons Gaming Team was awarded the No. 5 selection in last month’s draft lottery and used that pick to select Ramo “Lets Get It Ramo” Radoncic from Brooklyn, NY with the first selection in the esports club’s history.
Five additional players were selected using subsequent picks with draft position determined by a snake order arrangement -- No. 30, No. 39, No. 64, No. 73 and No. 98. The players in today’s draft were selected from a pool of 102 draftees that were chosen by the league after an extensive tryout process that began in January 2018.
Each team had to use its first five selections to fill each of the five positions on the basketball court. The final selection could be used to select a player from any position (point guard, shooting guard, small forward, power forward or center). A list of players selected and their positions and home states are listed below:
Pistons Gaming Team 2018 Draft Selections Draft Round/Selection Position Name Gamer Tag
1/No. 5 overall Power Forward Ramo Radoncic Lets Get It Ramo New York
2/No. 30 overall * Small Forward Kristopher Dellarciprete iiNsaniTTy *Pennsylvania
3/No. 39 overall * Shooting Guard Rochell Woods ixsplashkingxi * Tennessee
4/No. 64 overall * Center Matthew *Rux NeNe * Illinois
5/No. 73 overall * Point Guard Frederick Mendoza * Im So Far Ahead * Virginia
6/No. 98 overall * Center Joseph Marrero * JosephTheTruth * New York
WHAT: NBA 2K LEAGUE EXHIBITION - PISTONS GAME TEAM vs. CAVS LEGION GAMING CLUB
WHEN: Tuesday, May 8 11-1 p.m.
WHERE: Campus Martius Park - Detroit, MI 48234
WHO: § Pistons GT Team Members
§ Cavs Legion GC Team Members
§ Jamie “Dirk” Ruiz – NBA 2K League Twitch Broadcast Commentator
§ Dr. Darrius – WJLB Radio Personality and MC