Blazer5 Gaming Roster Set as eSports Hit Portland and the NBA

Whether you’re riding high on the eSports wave or can’t tell the difference between an Xbox and the X-Men, professional gaming is coming to Portland fast. The inaugural draft for the NBA and Take-Two Interactive-backed professional NBA 2K League took place last Wednesday and Portland established their new franchise selecting 6th overall.

Eder Campuzano of The Oregonian gave a rundown of Blazer5 Gaming’s selections, broke down the basic structure of the league, highlighted the prize pool and more.

The Blazers used their sixth overall pick to choose Los Angeles native Dayne Downey, who goes by “OneWildWalnut” online.

And if Portland is the kind of place where lightning strikes twice, that sixth pick may spell good fortune for the newly minted pro gamers, who will fall under the Blazer5 Gaming moniker.

Downey and his five teammates will soon relocate to Portland, where the Blazers will pay for their housing. The first-round pick will earn $35,000 while the rest will earn $32,000 for their six-month contracts.

Here’s the rest of the Blazers’ eSports roster:

Nidal Nasser, point guard from San Bruno California, “MamaImDatMan”

Andron Thomas, small forward from Brooklyn, New York, “Lavish_Phenom”

Connor Rodriguez, power forward from Lemoore, California, “DatBoyShotz”

Grant Barker, shooting guard from California, “GRANT MONSTER”

Jomar Varela Escapa, center from Puerto Rico, “Jomar12PR”

Blazer5 Gaming released a snippet from their war room on draft night in New York City:

If you’re wondering how the folks from Blazer5 Gaming will be living, Blazer5 Gaming gave a little taste of where the team will be living, practicing, and growing together in.

If you want to know more about the league’s overall structure, the official release from NBA 2K Gaming has you covered.

The season begins May 1 right as the NBA Playoffs are hitting full swing.