NBA 2K League, Australian National Basketball League Launch Expansion Team, NBL Oz Gaming

MELBOURNE – The NBA 2K League and Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL) today announced a historic agreement that will see the NBL launch an NBA 2K League expansion team, NBL Oz Gaming, representing Australia. This is the first time that an Australian professional team has joined a global esports league on a permanent basis.

The NBA 2K League kicked off its inaugural season in May 2018, with 17 teams, each affiliated with an NBA team. With the addition of NBL Oz Gaming, the NBA 2K League has now expanded to 25 teams, 22 of which are affiliated with NBA teams, including 2022 Champions Pistons GT (3v3) and Bucks Gaming (5v5). NBL Oz Gaming becomes the third expansion team outside of North America after adding Gen.G Tigers representing Shanghai and DUX Infinitos representing Mexico City, in 2021 and 2022, respectively, and will debut in the sixth edition of the NBA 2K League. the season begins in the spring of 2023. Together, the NBL and the NBA 2K League will collaborate to grow the NBA 2K League’s presence in Australia through talent identification, joint marketing efforts and local events. NBL Oz Gaming will be based in the United States during the 2023 season, with the location of the team yet to be announced.

“It’s another historic day as we welcome Australia’s premier basketball league to the NBA 2K League family,” said NBA 2K League President Brendan Donohue. “The NBL has a proven track record of not only transforming its league, but also growing a fanbase in new and creative ways. The NBL is the perfect partner to help the NBA 2K League do the same in Australia, where basketball and 2K are incredibly popular and we are excited to have NBL Oz Gaming represent Australia in the NBA 2K League for years to come. .

“We’ve been intrigued by the esports industry for some time, in large part because there’s such a strong crossover between gaming fans and basketball fans – more than any other sport,” said the NBL Commissioner Jeremy Loeliger. “We always want to partner with the best, and one of the best professional esports leagues in the world is run by our longtime friends and partners in the NBA. The global popularity of NBA 2K and the NBA 2K League continues to grow. grow every year, and none show signs of slowing down. Our hopes and expectations are that NBL Oz Gaming will introduce the NBL to a legion of new fans around the world. But first, we must turn our attention to building of a strong, competitive roster and show once again that the NBL can take on the best in the world. This time it’s just a slightly different game!

The 2023 NBA 2K League season will be streamed live in Australia on Twitch and YouTube. During the first five seasons of the NBA 2K League, the league hosted international qualifying events in Hong Kong, Seoul, and remotely for top players from the Asia-Pacific region. Jack “Jaacko” Stevenson (New Zealand) was selected 50th overall in the 2019 NBA 2K League Draft and Meason “xMiLo—” Camille (Australia) was selected 62nd overall in the 2021 NBA 2K League Draft .

NBA 2K22 was in the Top 3 best-selling console games in Australia (#3) and New Zealand (#2) in 2021*.

The NBL has established itself as the fastest growing Australian sports league and one of the best basketball leagues in the world outside of the NBA. In recent seasons, the league has seen record attendance, broadcast ratings and social media engagement, and has become a destination for top players from around the world, including through the NBL Next Stars program. Thanks to the growth of the NBL, the success of Australia’s national teams and the impact of Australian players in the world’s top basketball leagues, basketball is now the fastest growing sport in Australia. .

NBL Oz Gaming will participate in the NBA 2K League Expansion Draft on Saturday, November 5 (Eastern Time).

For more information, fans can follow the NBA 2K League on Facebook (NBA 2K League), Instagram (nba2kleague), TikTok (nba2kleague), Twitch (NBA2KLeague) and Twitter (NBA2KLeague) and visit NBA2KLeague.com. Fans can follow the NBL on Facebook (TheNBL), Instagram (nbl), Twitch (NBL) and Twitter (NBL) and visit NBL.com.au.