The NBA 2K League wrapped up its sophomore season in August, as T-Wolves Gaming took down 76ers GC in the league finals. It capped a big second year for the league, one which saw it add four teams prior to the start of the 2019 campaign.
That expansion will continue in 2020, with news having already dropped that the Charlotte Hornets will get its own team, Hornets Venom GT. But it turns out that will not be the only newcomer to the league next year, as the league announced on Thursday night that a city abroad will get a squad, too.
Gen.G, an esports organization with headquarters in China, South Korea, and the United States, will launch a Shanghai team that is slated to begin participating in the league in time for the 2020 campaign. In a release, the league announced that this is part of a long-term partnership with Gen.G, and while the team will represent Shanghai, it will train at Gen.G’s headquarters in Los Angeles.
“This is a historic moment in the NBA 2K League’s journey to becoming a truly global league with fans, franchises and players from all over the world,” NBA 2K League Managing Director Brendan Donohue said in a statement. “Gen.G is the ideal organization to launch our first team from outside of North America, and we look forward to working with Gen.G to reach new fans in Shanghai and identify elite talent across Asia.”
Beyond being the first squad in the league’s history to be based outside of the United States or Canada, the Gen.G team is the first addition to the league that is not affiliated with an NBA franchise. It’s not the only news that comes out of this partnership, either, as the two sides will collaborate “on player development and talent identification in Asia, brand development in Asia, and worldwide esports and gaming programming.”
