It can be somewhat difficult to wrap your mind around the fact that playing video games is now, for some, a full-time job. The NBA 2K League, an esports league founded in partnership with the NBA, started earlier this year with much fanfare. Adam Silver was on hand to announce the first overall draft pick. Seventeen franchises—with four more joining next year—took part in the inaugural season, that ultimately saw Knicks Gaming crowned as champions after an up-and-down season. The grandiosity of this entire exercise is not lost on those participating.
“I can’t believe I’m playing video games for a living,” Dayvon Curry, a power forward for Knicks Gaming, told The Crossover.