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Kevin Durant: Devin Booker is the best Call Of Duty player in the NBA
Kevin Durant says Devin Booker is the best Call Of Duty player in the NBA: ‘That's what Book do, he runs with the real pros, and you get the feel for how they play. Man I'm just playing with the homies who just is probably, just a little bit better than me! You know getting dubs though, getting wins, getting dubs, getting kills’.
FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, 2K, the publisher of NBA 2K, and the NBA 2K League have entered into an agreement that will offer a unique platform to organize international events for National Federations and the esport gaming community. The multiyear deal highlights the desire of all parties to further strengthen bridges between eFIBA events and the NBA 2K League by providing an opportunity to identify regional talent, offering eFIBA participants a chance to participate in NBA 2K League events or the NBA 2K League Draft, as well as establishing a clear national team competition system. The eFIBA calendar will include Qualifiers, four Regional Finals (Africa, Asia including Oceania, Americas and Europe), and the eFIBA World Finals each year. Starting this fall, the creation of this first eFIBA window, in partnership with ESL FACEIT Group (EFG), will act as a key lever in extending the reach of esports by making it more accessible and attractive to new players.
Spanish esports organisation DUX Gaming has raised €3m (~£2.6m) in a funding round led by NBA champion Marc Gasol. The investment will be utilised to help the organisation expand into Latin America. This includes relocating its NBA 2K League franchise, DUX Infinitos, from Indianapolis to Mexico City.
Through the funding, DUX will continue to create intersections between the esports and traditional sports industries, this time through Bàsquet Girona, a Spanish basketball team founded by Gasol. According to a release, the investment also signals an alliance between the two parties which will include Bàsquet Girona’s entry into European NBA 2K competitions.
Spurs Sports & Entertainment today announced it is joining Tribe Gaming’s investor group. The mobile gaming giant is the leading mobile gaming esports organization in North America with over 25 million subscribers worldwide. Tribe’s powerhouse content collective garners 128 million monthly views on YouTube and their esports teams compete in five major mobile titles. “Tribe Gaming and its founder Patrick Carney are visionaries in gaming and esports,” said Joe Donnelly, Associate Vice President of Corporate Development for SS&E. “Through their innovative approach, unique culture and strategic leadership, they have transformed the mobile gaming lifestyle into a thriving business with a global fanbase. We have great respect for what they have already achieved and are excited to be a part of Tribe Gaming’s future.”
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Fortnite and the NBA are teaming up in a significant virtual collaboration. Dubbed "Fortnite x NBA: The Crossover," the event coincides with the start of the 2021 NBA postseason. On Friday, players will be able to equip NBA outfits for all 30 teams, and on May 25th can visit a "NBA Welcome Hub" in Fortnite's Creative Mode, where NBA-themed experiences and content will reside. Player "Locker Bundles" will also be part of the drop, featuring Utah Jazz Shooting guard Donovan Mitchell and Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young. The pair will share their personal favorite items to equip while playing Fortnite and these items will be digitized and available for sale in the Fortnite Item Shop next week.
Luka Doncic signing a deal with 2K?
According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has broken away from a deal with EA Sports, and he has signed with 2K. No details were revealed on the new agreement, but it makes Doncic the favorite to be the cover athlete for NBA 2K22. Doncic was officially named the cover athlete for NBA Live Mobile back in December 2019, but nothing has materialized for the console version of the brand.
“Man, this is crazy,” Andre Smith told his big brother. “I’m really about to be in the league.” “The league?” Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma shot back. “You’re not in the league. I’m in THE league.” They might both be right — in very different ways. Franchises from the NBA’s 2K League will fill their teams with the best virtual basketball players ahead of the league’s fourth season with its annual draft on Saturday. Smith will be in the player pool of around 250 gamers hoping to land one of the 63 available roster spots.
Kuzma, an avid gamer who has been traveling this season with a video game monitor, saw Smith’s skills explode in a very unbrotherly whooping in the sport Kuzma plays professionally at the highest level. “It wasn’t fun playing with him. ... But eventually as time grew and he got a lot better at it. About two years ago, he finally beat me in ‘2K’ for the first time,” Kuzma said. “… He kicked my ass. I was like, damn. This dude got better.”
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.
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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.
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