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NBA 2K LEAGUE DRAFTFebruary 22, 2020Brendan DonohueNew York, New York BRENDAN DONOHUE: First of all, thank you all for being here and just for your attention and your appreciation of the 2K League, and also welcome. This is the biggest live event in the history of the league. I mean, you're seeing the crowd outside. This is really exciting. We're going to have more than 1,000 people here. It's going to be an amazing event, and really this event is the culmination of a very long process to get to this stage, and it's been our most thorough process. Whether it was through the traditional combine, we had tryouts this year in both Seoul, South Korea, and London for players in those regions. And also for the first time ever we actually allowed our teams to host local tournaments where the top two players from each of those areas actually got entry into the draft pool. So that led us to this 228 players. And also the great thing about today, too, in regards of the makeup of the player pool, we strongly believe that a diverse player pool is a stronger player pool. And so you'll see we have 24 players representing 10 different countries and regions as well as three women in our draft pool. So we're very proud of that. A couple other new things for this year. So we have our two newest teams, so Hornets Venom GT as well as our first non-North American team, so the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai. They'll both be filling out their rosters for the first time, which is exciting. And then in terms of the event itself, I mentioned, this is our biggest live event. And it's because we changed the format, so you'll notice it's the first time we've actually opened up the draft to fans, and so we're thrilled. We flew through our tickets when they became available, which is exciting. It'll create a whole new atmosphere for tonight, and then beyond fans, you'll also notice we're going to have some guest celebrity pickers on behalf of teams including NBA legends and I'll leave the other ones for a surprise. So that's tonight. We also have a great musical act, 10k.Caash, so just in general, I think you'll notice we're going to have a lot of surprises throughout the nighttime to keep it exciting and fresh. That's really a summation of the process as well as tonight. I'm thankful for all of you being here and happy to answer any questions. Q. What is it about Terminal 5 that led you to choose this as a venue? BRENDAN DONOHUE: So I think what I love about Terminal 5 is this is normally a concert venue, so to me it really captures kind of what we were trying to do, which was create a great atmosphere. You naturally have a great atmosphere, that tension and excitement of the players being drafted or not being drafted in general. But I think just bringing it here, they're used to musical acts and kind of all the things we're trying to do, so it made for a great atmosphere, a great venue, I should say. Q. Gen.G is the newest addition to the family. Talk about that process and how huge is that for the league? BRENDAN DONOHUE: So Gen.G is the first step of several. So whether it's building out our Asia-Pacific division, we fully expect in the future to build out a European division. And so I think what Gen.G helped us do was it created excitement -- obviously in the NBA community, but I think it also awakened the entire esports community that listen, the NBA is taking this really seriously and they're all in. So Gen.G, the level of respect they have in the esports community is real, and it's deserved. And they're bringing a whole different level for us with their esports experience. They're also going to help us with finding players in the Asia-Pacific region specifically, so they've already begun hosting tournaments. I think they're an amazing addition for us. Q. On the esports organization, what has the interest been like? BRENDAN DONOHUE: I mean, in terms of like people that want franchises in this league, I'll tell you we've had tons of them. And what we're trying to do is we're not just seeking a big check. We're looking for partners that can help us scale this thing. About Gen.G, what they bring is talent development and being able to identify great talent for us. And so you're going to continue to see us create great franchise partnerships with people all over the world who are going to help us scale the league. I fully expect our expansion process, we're adding teams every single year. I don't see that stopping anytime soon. Q. What do you think this esports experience has learned from the esports community? BRENDAN DONOHUE: I actually think it's back and forth. I think we're learning a lot from esports community on the broadcast side, on the player development side, and then I think we are fortunate, the NBA has been running the league for 70 plus years, and that experience and that infrastructure and that support, to have NBA teams, their content people, their partnership and activation people, all those professionals. This is what they do, and so having that in our wheelhouse I think is really attractive to our partners. I think it kind of goes both ways. Q. There has been three different sites for the draft but still there's been one drive, one mission and one statement that's been three years of building. How do you feel looking back over the last three years? You've got to be really proud of this. BRENDAN DONOHUE: We are. I would say the first year we were just trying to execute and get everything up and running. I think now we've built out our team, the people doing our broadcasts, these are seasoned professionals. I would say it continues. You'll see every single year we keep growing, it's adding, we're making it bigger and bigger and bigger, both in the studio and on draft day. And I think you'll definitely see it today. This is going to feel different than what you've experienced the last two years. The one common denominator that I love and what makes it my favorite day is we're about to change 68 lives. This is an amazing day for the 68 people who are about to be drafted, and that is the universal theme for us all three drafts that makes it so special. Q. What have you learned from some of the new things you as a league did last year like have tournaments in other locations? BRENDAN DONOHUE: Good question. I think right now we know we're going to take our show on the road probably for tournaments similar to last year or at least for one of our tournaments at least. I think potentially our Finals in the future. Our Finals feel like we're kind of busting at the seams a little bit for our Finals, so we may need a different venue for that in the future. But I think some of that's going to be dictated by the expansion growth. If all of a sudden we have a number of teams in a European division, it's going to make sense for us to bring it there eventually. We already are. We've been in London and Hong Kong and Seoul. I think the other thing you're going to see this year is I think we're looking to -- we've had most of our events have been in New York. I think we need to let our teams and our fans in their market feel this product. So you're going to start to see us -- teams will start to host games on a select basis this season. So our schedule will be coming out soon, and we'll likely have several games in key markets so that the fans can feel the product. Q. What do you think the 2K League has done for the esports community? BRENDAN DONOHUE: I think you're seeing how the league development is kind of more structure built, whether it's Blitzer, local lives, Call of Duty, et cetera. I think what we do at the NBA, I think what we pride ourselves on sharing best practices and learning from each other. I think we're trying to bring that attitude to the esports world. I'm friends with the folks who run the leagues, et cetera. I think there's things for us to learn from each other, so I hope we bring that to the esports world. Q. Can you talk about Dimez' relationship with HyperX? He was recently named the community ambassador. How important is that to the league? BRENDAN DONOHUE: Well, number one, I'm thrilled for Dimez, and HyperX is a partner of the league, as well. So they're doubling down, and really it's our first player endorsement, I believe, so having Dimez -- you'll see -- having Dimez in Times Square on big boards, like that's an amazing moment for the league in terms of just taking that next step. Q. How big do you think this league can get in five years if you had your ideal scenario? BRENDAN DONOHUE: I think you're going to see us across the world. I think we're going to be a true global entity, and at the very least across Europe, Asia-Pacific and in North America. And we're excited to see a day where a London team and a Shanghai team are playing Knicks Gaming and they're interchangeable, and having Knicks Gaming go over to London and play a team there. It's not going to be a European team playing each other, it's going to be one big league, and I think it's going to make for some exciting new markets and new fans for us. Q. As far as like Chiquita leading with the women's camp that you held last year, how does that help expand what the 2K League -- you were mentioning now there are three women in the draft, last year there was just one, so how has that expanded the 2K League to make it more diverse for women? BRENDAN DONOHUE: So I would say it's not something like it's a one -- we would never treat this as a one-off. This has been a process for us. And so last year's women's development camp was probably the fifth or sixth step in a much bigger process. So we've done research, we've looked at the tryout process, we've heard from women themselves about their experiences and we're making adjustments continuously. So we're continuing to iterate the process. But I think what Chiquita did was I think she made it real. And she made it real last season by playing in the league. And I think what she did and her being at our women's development camp in August with 15 of the top 2K women in the world is she made it real for them. And I think that event more than anything, certainly they were learning to play the game at a high level and playing with other great players. But one, it made it feel normal, and I think them seeing Chiquita inspired them to push through the tryout process. And you're seeing now the end result is we have three more women, two of which actually played in that development camp in the draft pool. Q. Last season we saw an expansion team win the title. What does that say that they can come in and it's pretty much a level playing field? BRENDAN DONOHUE: Yeah, we saw BearDaBeast and T-Wolves Gaming, they were a second and a half from being eliminated at the end of last season to having amazing play, then charging into the entire Playoffs and win the Playoffs. Actually not too dissimilar to what the Knicks did in winning The Ticket on the very last week of the season and then kind of making a historic run in the Playoffs, as well. I would just say I think we've established the first three seasons that anything is possible and teams are not going to give up on their seasons. Yeah, no way I'm going to predict what's going to happen in season 3. I just know it'll be fun to watch. Q. Can you talk about your partnership with Panera Bread? BRENDAN DONOHUE: Sure. They're here tonight, so if you guys see them, you should grab them and talk to them, as well. But I would say it's -- I mentioned earlier this kind of stair-step we're building on draft day from the first year to the second year to this year. I think we've built it out now where it's a big enough event with 1,000 plus people here that now it's a piece of -- it's kind of an ownable asset for a sponsor to take and put their name on it. And so that's a big moment for us. And I don't want to say doubly important, Panera Bread, that this is a non-endemic brand. This is not someone who's in the gaming space normally. This is the first time they've done a sports partnership with the NBA, and so it's a great thing for us to actually have established ourselves enough to where we have a Panera Bread who wants to associate with the event. Q. And is this your favorite 2K League day of the year? BRENDAN DONOHUE: That's pretty funny. It's right up there, that's for sure. I mean, like I mentioned earlier, it's fun to see 68 people who put their heart and soul -- you've got to remember, the vast majority of these players learned and became great at this craft before there was ever a paying job associated with it. So just seeing that kind of pure investment, being rewarded, it's pretty cool to see. Q. To a person outside the esports world, why should they be interested in this league? BRENDAN DONOHUE: What I would say is that people love watching competition at the highest level. You go home and you turn on your TV and you'll see -- whether it's the Biggest Loser or Top Chef or Chopped, people love watching people compete. And I think we've got a product where it's the top people in the world competing, and I do think if you come to our studio in New York, you'll see that atmosphere. Once you come in, you're hooked. I mean, the atmosphere we've created I think with our set design and our players meeting each other in the product, I think all we need to do now is spend a little time showing what we can do. Q. There have been some things on social media with some GMs and coaches and some current players in the league talking about guys that are potential draftees, skipping out on interviews and stuff like that. What are your thoughts on that? Is that real? BRENDAN DONOHUE: Truthfully I don't know who did that and who didn't. Personally I'd recommend against it. I think just generally speaking as a professional courtesy, if you're asked to interview you should probably interview. But I honestly don't know who did it. I guess we'll find out tonight if anybody slides unexpectedly. Q. What does it mean to have these events in New York in a mecca of basketball, to have this in the Big Apple? BRENDAN DONOHUE: I think for these players, it sets the tone for what they're getting into. I think on a week-by-week basis, we're flying them into one of the local airports and bringing them into the middle of the city to compete at the highest level, and this is the first time they're going to experience that. It's the first time they're going to experience a red carpet. So I think all of that kind of elevates the expectations. Part of tonight is them feeling and understanding what they've actually joined. And quite honestly, you helped create that, and so the excitement and the tension and the hope of getting drafted, all of that is elevated, I think, by being in New York. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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