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Utah Jazz esports team unveils Jazz Gaming logo

Posted at 6:59 PM, Dec 13, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-13 20:59:51-05

SALT LAKE CITY -- The Utah Jazz’s esports team unveiled its first Jazz Gaming logo on Wednesday.

It’s keeping the excitement surrounding the new league going.

“It’s also clearing out the misnomer of that guy who sits in his parent’s basement and plays the games,” explained Josh Barney, the Utah Jazz’s Esports Director. “These people, they practice many hours a day to hone their craft. They also exercise as well to make themselves the most available that they can to play professionally.”

Earlier this year, the Jazz announced they had paid a fee to enter into the first ever NBA 2K League. It’s where professional gamers compete against other gamers.

The league will consist of 17 teams (all named after real NBA teams that sponsored the league) with five drafted professional gamers for each team. The teams will be flown to live within the cities of their team. Then they will travel to cities where the teams will be facing off against each other. Barney said the teams will meet in a neutral studio setting.

“The exciting part about this is we are taking gamers who play at home and turn them into professional gamers, so, they actually have an opportunity to try out for a professional team provided by the NBA," Barney said.

The try-outs are for anyone ages 18-35 from anywhere in the world. You will have to win a minimum of 50 games. Then in March, the draft starts. But league  directors have already been watching gamers playing or practicing their NBA 2K gaming skills.

“For months and months we have actually been looking at these players on Twitch just to see what their social presence is, how they play: that type of thing.”

The chosen professional gamers will be paid by the league. The salary has not been revealed yet.