SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah Jazz Gaming team has returned home
For the first time since 2019, the official esports team of the Utah Jazz is playing inside a studio at the Delta Center.
The team competes in the NBA 2K League. Launched in 2018, it’s the first esports league operated by an American professional sports league.
Just like the NBA, the esports version has a draft.
“There is a combine that we go through,” said Jelani Mitchell, head coach of Jazz Gaming, “Season one -- 72,000 people participated in that combine. We had advanced analytics and data that was pulled.”
Five players make up the Jazz Gaming squad.
“It’s a lot of time, a lot of practice,” said Spencer Wyman. His avatar comes to life as a player named “Ria.” “You’ve got to have hand-eye coordination obviously, some God-given ability.”
Wyman was the first pick for Jazz Gaming in the 2019 draft.
Even though this version of basketball is played in the virtual world, it is just as competitive as the real thing.
Every statistic is tracked from shooting percentage to which side of the court a player is most likely to take a shot.
It’s a big business that is also a dream come true for every member of the team,
“I couldn’t even imagine it,” said TJ Paturzo, whose avatar comes to life as "Kaze."
The team spends hours each day practicing inside their studio at the Delta Center.
They know they are role models to the millions of kids who pick up a gaming controller everyday.
Their advice to any child with esports dreams is to focus on school first.
“You can’t give up everything,” Wyman said. “You have to have a good family life. You’ve got to be social and make sure you are going to school.”
He shares that knowledge because just like in the NBA, success in the 2K League is fleeting.
“As you get older you’re going to lose reaction time and hand-eye coordination. That’s just age,” Wyman said. “A couple of 30-plus-year-old players in the league – they are very, very rare.”
Wyman and his teammates still have the youthful skills needed to succeed in the 2K League. As the 2024 season begins, they are enjoying the ride as professional gamers, living out their childhood dream and taking their shot at a prize pool that can top $2,000,000.
“Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” Paturzo said. “You’ve got to have a life still, go do your own thing, play sports, hang out with friends. At the same time, if you have a dream, do it.”
