Sports

New NBA expansion team is coming to Atlanta – and it's interactive

A brand new NBA expansion team is coming to Atlanta – but not the kind most basketball fans would expect.

The Atlanta Hawks announced they are one of the four expansion teams in the NBA 2K League, an eSports league currently in its inaugural season.

"It is truly on the rise. This is no novelty. It's real," Atlanta Hawks CEO Steve Koonin told Channel 2's Craig Lucie.

The Hawks will be the first Atlanta pro franchise to have its own eSports team – the Hawks Talon Gaming Club.

“ESports are one of the fastest growing businesses in America, not only one of the fastest growing sports. It is literally video gaming and it has exploded," Koonin said.

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Koonin told Channel 2 the team is structurally set up like the professional Hawks with a coach, general manager and players. But all the games are played on internet network Twitch.

People from all over the world tune in to watch five NBA players take on another NBA team. Of the 30 NBA franchises, 21 are now on board.

While these players won’t be playing in Philips Arena, there is still a lot of money on the table. The starting salary will be $35,000, but they have the opportunity to win a lot more than that.

The championship prize is $1 million.

E-gamer Harry Evans grew up playing eSports basketball games when he was in elementary and middle school.

“To see how far it’s come along with technological advances and everyone like that is pretty cool," Evans said.

The expansion draft is Sept. 25 and the Hawks Talon Gaming Club will play their first game in May 2019.

“We are learning fast, and now the Hawks can have global reach," Koonin said.