The Miami Heat will be among 17 NBA franchises participating in the inaugural season of the NBA 2K esports league, which will debut in 2018.
The Heat organization acquired a stake in esports expansion team Misfits, who compete in League of Legends, Overwatch, Heroes of the Storm, Super Smash Brothers and Heatherstone: Heroes of Warcraft, in January 2017 as part of a cross-promotional deal between the two franchises. The strategic partnership also includes the Heat handling marketing, branding and promotion of Misfits, who were formed in June 2016 and have immediately taken the world of esports by storm.