Harry “HazzaUK2K” Hurst’s parents thought he was wasting time by playing basketball games on his computer. Little did they realize it would lead to his big break in e-sports.
The 21-year-old British gamer was drafted to play for Mavs Gaming (Dallas Mavericks) last year, earning him US$32,000 plus living costs for six months in Dallas, as well as weekly trips to New York to compete.
The professional NBA 2K League mirrors the NBA with a regular season, playoffs and a draft, in which franchises vie to secure the stars of tomorrow.
Each of the teams have six players, who compete as unique characters in five-on-five play.
The league launched last year with 17 teams, all operated by NBA franchises — Knicks Gaming were crowned the inaugural winners in August last year, earning US$300,000 — and is expanding to 21 teams for the coming season.
Hurst, who has not been retained by the Mavs and so awaits this year’s draft to see if he will be picked for a second season, admits he did not play basketball seriously on the court or on the computer.
“Essentially, the thought of joining the NBA organization and playing under their name and moving to another country in such a short time span is something you dream about and now is a reality,” Hurst said last week.
The league’s first international qualifying event is to take place in Hong Kong early next month and is to identify elite players from the Asia-Pacific region who would be eligible for this year’s draft.
“Our goal is for the NBA 2K League to be a truly global league, with players and teams from around the world,” league managing director Brendan Donohue said. “Nine international players competed in our inaugural season and our hope is that number will grow every year.”
Hurst’s former roommate in Dallas, Ryan “Dayfri” Conger, has moved to Washington after being snapped up by the Wizards District Gaming team.
Conger, who is taking night classes for his degree in kinesiology, said that although the careers are precarious, there are benefits.
“When I was a kid my father was mad at getting up to go to work, although he likes it now,” the 21-year-old said. “I wake up and get to say I am going to play video games and being paid for it.”
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