The NBA 2K League’s second season kicked into high gear on Tuesday with the league draft, which began at 4pm CT. With the first pick in the draft, Jazz Gaming made a big move to solidify last season’s roster by adding Spencer “Ria” Wyman.
The annual draft is a culmination of a months-long scouting process that gives new players a chance to play for a 2K League team. Each team was only able to protect two players from last year’s roster, which means that the draft is an integral part to building for this season and beyond.
This year, the process included the first international qualifying event, held in Hong Kong in February. The scouting and combine process resulted in 198 players being named eligible for Tuesday’s draft, including 22 international players from nine countries. The list of players included new faces as well as many players who competed in the league last year.
After Jazz Gaming kicked off the draft process, the rest of the picks came in as follows:
First Round
- Utah Jazz Gaming: Spencer “Ria” Wyman
- Warriors Gaming: Samuel “Gradient” Salyers
- Kings Guard Gaming: Michael “Bp” Diaz
- Pistons GT: Andrew “mrstylez_” Valle
- Mavs Gaming: Peter “PeteBeBallin” Malin
- Bucks Gaming: Tyler “Plondo” Lay
- Grizz Gaming: Zach “Vandi” Vandivier
- Celtics Crossover Gaming: Tamer “Bully” Mustafa
- Magic Gaming: Brendan “Reizey” Hill
- Warriors Gaming: Charles “Kina” Bostwick
- T-Wolves Gaming: Michael “BearDaBeast” Key
- Nets GC: Isaiah “Wavy” Hancock
- Hawks Talon GC: Devin “DevGoss” Gossett
- Mavs Gaming: Moustapha “Byanymeansmo” Saab
- Raptors Uprising GC: Frederick “Im So Far Ahead” Mendoza
- Pistons GT: Robert “I1ImayI1l” May
- Bucks Gaming: Stephen “SlayIsland” Lay
- Cavs Gaming: Cody “LYKaPRO” Hart
- 76ers GC: Christopher “BreadwinnerLA” Lafanette
- Heat Check Gaming: Lytel “Lotty” Martin
- Knicks Gamign: Malik “OriginalMalik” Hobson
Second round
- Kings Guard Gaming: Waseem “BallLikeSeem” Talbert
- Utah Jazz Gaming: Bobby “EasyMoney” Wilson
- Pacers Gaming: Brentathan “Lord Beezus” Aasgaard
- Mavs GG: Justin “Sherm” Sherman
- Bucks GG: Chad “chaddynick” Fodderie
- Grizz Gaming: Justin “Jayrod” Rodriguez
- Celtics Crossover Gaming: Terry “NO xAUTOGRAPHSx” Jackson
- Magic Gaming: Daniel “DT” Tlais
- Hawks Talon GC: Randalph “Rando” Moreno
- Nets GC: Aziz “Shuttles” Salem
- T-Wolves Gaming: Christopher “TURNUPDEFENSE” Anderson
- Lakers Gaming: Kevin “Kev” Alvarado
- Wizards District Gaming: Michael “USERPICK” Albiter
- Raptors Uprising GC: Georgio “OOC Slim” Bonte
- Blazer5 Gaming: David “Too cool” Urena
Third round
- Kings Guard Gaming: Jonathan “Roman” Roman
- Warriors Gaming Squad: Jin “Jin” Choe
- Utah Jazz Gaming: Alontae “Gliz” Proctor
- Pacers Gamign: Matthew “Matty” Grant
- Mavs Gaming: Matthew “Rux” Rux
- Grizz Gaming: Brandon “ToXsiK” Raudenbush
- Magic Gaming: Mykel “KelMav” Wilson
- Lakers Gaming: Christopher “Detoxys” Doyle
- T-Wolves Gaming: Josiah “Dr_JoJo_30” Oetjen
- Nets GC: Joel “Lavish” Lazu
- Hawks Talon GC: Jonathan “Jay a FooL” Jefferson
- Wizards District Gaming: Paul “PaulB” Bradford
- Raptors Uprising GC: Seanquai “KingQuai614” Harris
- Pistons GT: Jack “Jaacko” Stevenson
- Cavs Legion GC: William “Strainer” Morales
- Heat Check Gaming: Jordan “JMoneyRep817” Martinez
- Kings Guard Gaming: Yusuf “Yusuf_Scarbz” Abdulla
- Wizards District Gaming: Maurice “ReeseDaGod23” Delaney
Fourth Round
- Kings Guard Gaming: Zachary “Zaky610” Saruba
- Warriors Gaming: Chiquita “Chiquitae126” Evans
- Utah Jazz Gaming: Kevin “KevDontMiss” Fennelly
- Pacers Gaming: Damien “Man_in_a_car” D’Amore
- Mavs Gaming: Grant “GRANT MONSTER” Barker
- Bucks Gaming: Robert “RSG” Harter
- Grizz Gaming: Daniel “DDboule2K” Davis
- Celtics Crossover Gaming: Rainny “Suavy” Rodriguez
- Magic Gaming: Tucker “TuckerLocksUp” Henry
- Hawks Talon Gaming: Mark “XxSTL2LAxX” Hampton, Jr.
- Nets Gaming: Charles “iiTzChas” Newell III
- T-Wolves Gaming: Brian “NachoTraynor” Traynor
- Lakers Gaming: Shane “Safiya4ya” Farrar
- Wizards District Gaming: Isaac “xGREATxGILLY13” Gilton
- Raptors Uprising Gaming: Joshua “TsJosh” McKenna
- Pistons GT: Rochell “ixsplashkingxi” Woods
- Blazer5 Gaming: Jomar “Jomar12” Varela-Escapa
- Cavs Legion GC: Christophre “Savage” Tracey
- 76ers GC: Sean “oCASSIUS” Clayton
- Heat Check Gaming: Anmool “ChaChingSingh” Singh
- Knicks Gaming: Harry “HazzaUK2K” Hurst
Perhaps the most noteworthy draft pick came in the fourth round when Warriors Gaming picked up Chiquitae126, the lone woman in the player pool. She’s breaking barriers as the first female player in the league, and it looks like she’ll player a major role in rebuilding Warriors squad.
The NBA 2K League had a strong season last year, growing its viewer count steadily over its four-month season. While the league has a long way to catch other esports like League of Legends and Overwatch in terms of viewership and revenue, results from the first season were strong enough to entice four more NBA franchises to sponsor teams for season two. Play for the 2019 season will begin with the Tip-Off tournament, which starts on April 2.
