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Orlando Magic announce Magic Gaming as NBA 2K League team name

By Philip Rossman-Reich

SHENZHEN, CN - OCTOBER 4: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves participates during a NBA 2K E-Sports event on October 4, 2017 at Sheraton Shenzhen in Shenzhen, China. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images)
SHENZHEN, CN - OCTOBER 4: Karl-Anthony Towns #32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves participates during a NBA 2K E-Sports event on October 4, 2017 at Sheraton Shenzhen in Shenzhen, China. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The Orlando Magic unveiled the name and logo for their upcoming NBA2K League team. Magic Gaming will hit the virtual floors in May.

The Orlando Magic announced Magic Gaming as the team’s official NBA2K League team name. They also unveiled the logo for the team in a press release Wednesday.

https://twitter.com/MagicGaming/status/940954326280830977

Magic Gaming will be part of the first NBA 2K League, which will begin play in May. Initial tryouts will being on NBA 2K in the Pro-Am mode in January. There will be a formal tryout for the elite players near the All-Star Break with a draft taking place among the 17 NBA2K League teams in March.

Players will be drafted based on their MyPlayer character. In that game mode, players create their own individual player and build up their skills in games and competitions against other players or the computer.

Like a real basketball game, the player controls only himself and joins a team with four other players. The player is in complete control of their actions and plays together with a group to form the team.

It takes teamwork like in real basketball to form a good team. And players must mesh and match their individual skills and player archetypes. Players will not be playing as current NBA teams, but be playing as their own individual avatars in 5-on-5 games.

NBA 2K has hosted competitions to find the best teams before. It hosted a major 2K Tournament heading into All-Star Weekend last year in New Orleans. The NBA and NBA 2K have expanded that idea to have teams actually sponsor players and form their own teams.

"“The Orlando Magic is an organization whose mission is for excellence both on and off the court.  Magic Gaming is an extension of that mission, representing our organization and our town with pride, strength, hard-work, innovation and dedication,” Magic CEO Alex Martins said in a press release. “We are so excited to unveil this new team to our community, providing an opportunity to reach a new group of fans while creating even more legendary experiences. As sports innovators, we are excited about the direction our teams are headed as we build on the legend already created and look forward to what the future holds.”"

The Magic will be participating and drafting their team later this season.

Esports like the NBA 2K League have seen dramatic growth in the last few years. The Modern Warfare: Call of Duty championships were held at the Amway Center in August. And several American colleges now either offer scholarships in competitive gaming or have created their own official gaming teams. Not to mention, eSport competitions have sold out other arenas. And TBS broadcasts eSports events regularly.

Many of these competitions center around multiplayer games like League of Legends or Overwatch. The NBA 2K League will be the first full-length league devoted to a sports game rather than one-off or single player competition.

With the constant popularity of the NBA 2K video game series, the league is certainly trying to capitalize on this growing trend.

It will be a unique and exciting venture for the league and the Magic when games begin to tip off (virtually) in May.

Next: Orlando Magic point guards managing team through injuries

The NBA 2K League unveiled its logo earlier this week and more information about the league, including tryout information, is available on NBA2KLeague.com.