The Dallas Mavericks don’t know where they will be picking in this summer’s NBA Draft Lottery.
But their NBA 2K League team does.
Mavs Gaming won the first NBA 2K League Draft Lottery held last month, and will have the No. 1 overall pick in Wednesday’s draft.
“I am very excited about the upcoming draft and our #1 pick,” said Mavs Gaming Head Coach Jonah Edwards. “We’re eager to get started and introduce these players to the D/FW community.”
Edwards will represent the team at Wednesday’s draft which will take place at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden’s Lobby at 1 p.m. EST
Mavs Gaming is one of 17 NBA teams set to compete and participate in the inaugural season of the NBA 2K League, a professional esports league co-founded by the NBA and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO). The league will feature the best NBA 2K players in the world. Each of the league’s 17 teams will draft players to compete as unique characters in 5-on-5 play against the other teams in a mix of regular-season games, tournaments and playoffs.
“The audience for esports is expected to reach 385M this year, including 191M dedicated enthusiasts and 194M occasional viewers, which means even more fans for the NBA and for the Mavs,” said Edwards.
The six-round draft will introduce the first NBA 2K League professionals in history. Each team will draft six players each from a set pool of players. The 102 players who are selected will comprise the league’s first professionals to compete in the inaugural season, which tips off in May.
With the order of picks reversing after each round, Mavs Gaming will have the first overall pick, the last pick of the second round, the first pick of the third round and so on until each team has selected six players.
“We are very much looking forward to putting together the best possible team and organization for the first game in May. We think the NBA 2K League is going to have an incredible first season,” said Mark Cuban, owner of Mavs Gaming and the Dallas Mavericks.
The draft lottery, conducted at the MSG Networks’ 7th Avenue Studio in New York, determined the order of selection for the NBA 2K League Draft. In the non-weighted draft lottery, each team had an equal chance to receive the first overall pick. The lottery was conducted by drawing ping-pong balls in random order from the official ball machine used for the NBA Draft Lottery. Every team had one ping-pong ball, featuring its logo, in the machine.
NBA 2K LEAGUE DRAFT ORDER (FIRST ROUND):
- Mavs Gaming
- Celtics Crossover Gaming
- Jazz Gaming
- Kings Guard Gaming
- Pistons GT
- Blazer5 Gaming
- Heat Check Gaming
- Magic Gaming
- Knicks Gaming
- Bucks Gaming
- Raptors Uprising GC
- Wizards District Gaming
- Pacers Gaming
- 76ers GC
- Grizz Gaming
- Cavs Legion GC
- Warriors Gaming Squad
HyperX®, the gaming division of Kingston® Technology Company, Inc., is the official gaming headset partner of Mavs Gaming and the Dallas Mavericks. HyperX will participate with the Dallas Mavericks at NBA home games with in-arena activities including digital signage, giveaways and concourse activities. Mavs Gaming is the first professional NBA 2K League team to partner with HyperX. The company will co-develop activities with the Mavericks in and around traditional sports and esports gaming at the American Airlines Center.
“We see the NBA 2K league as a great way to provide entertainment value and partnering with HyperX is a valuable part of our plan to build a competitive NBA 2K League team,” said Cuban. “HyperX brings an abundance of experience in the gaming community and will be a valuable partner both on and off the court during esports tournaments and events.”
The Mavs Gaming social media accounts, @mavsgg (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram), are currently liveand engaging with fans. For more information about Mavs Gaming, visit the Mavs Gaming social accounts above or mavs.gg. For more information about the NBA 2K League, visit NBA2KLeague.com.
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