Today, the Sacramento Kings organization unveiled Kings Guard Gaming, the identity of its first esports team. Kings Guard will join 16 other teams in the inaugural season of the NBA 2K League, a joint venture between the NBA and Take-Two Interactive, featuring the best 2K players in the world. Recently, the Kings organization announced the first world-class gaming facility and content studio located in a pro sports venue, Golden 1 Center. The facility was created for the organization’s 2K League gamers and future Kings Gaming team members.
"We are thrilled to be among the first teams to compete in the NBA 2K League," said Vivek Ranadivé. "We have always viewed basketball as a global sport, and esports makes the game more universally accessible. Technology is a powerful tool to reach new fans and broaden our audience, and that's exactly what we believe will happen with our Kings Guard esports team."
The team logo designed by the Kings esports and Creative teams, in collaboration with Rodney Richardson of RARE Design, is rooted in the ferocity of the lion, the nobility of the crown and the strength associated with the color black. A new lion was created to mesh the iconic Kings marks with a fresh, esports appeal. The name, Kings Guard, references the passion of esports players entering a virtual battleground.
In the coming months, Kings Guard will select team members who will begin training for the upcoming 2K League and competitions. The team’s world-class training facility and content studio will provide players with best-in-class tools that the next generation of superstar gamers need to train, compete and win. In the coming months, Kings Guard will launch more details for recreational tournament play in the new facility housed inside of Golden 1 Center, as well as other community initiatives.
Kings Guard can be found online at Twitter.com/KingsGuardGG, Facebook.com/KingsGuardGG and Instagram.com/KingsGuardGG.
For more information, visit KingsGuard.gg.
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About the NBA 2K League The NBA 2K League is a professional esports league co-founded by the NBA and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO). Launching in 2018, the league will feature the best NBA 2K players in the world. Each of the league’s 17 teams will draft gamers to compete as unique characters in 5-on-5 play against the other teams in a mix of regular-season games, tournaments and playoffs. The league will host tryouts in early 2018, followed by a draft in March and the season tip-off in May. For more information about the NBA 2K League, visit www.NBA2KLeague.com.