Blazer5 Gaming

Last updated
Blazer5 Gaming
Blazer5 Gaming logo.jpg
Sport
Founded2017
Based in Portland, Oregon
ColorsRed, black, white
   
Website blazer5gaming.nba.com

Blazer5 Gaming (pronounced Blazers Gaming) is a team that competed in the NBA 2K League (NBA 2KL or 2KL) from 2018 to 2024. They are associated with the Portland Trail Blazers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Contents

History

In February 2017, the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the developer of the NBA 2K video game series, Take-Two Interactive, announced plans to launch an esports league around NBA 2K. [1] In May, the Portland Trail Blazers were announced as among the 17 of NBA's 30 teams set to participate in the inaugural NBA 2K League season, scheduled for 2018. [1] In December, the Trail Blazers officially announced their Blazer5 Gaming as their 2KL team. [2] Cameron McAlees was the first individual to hold the team's Esports Operations Manager position. [2] Portland State University alum and Trail Blazers art director Mario Milosevic led the identity design for Blazer5 Gaming. [3]

In the first NBA 2KL draft in 2018, Blazer5 Gaming held the sixth-overall pick, which they used to select Dayne "OneWildWalnut" Downey. [4] Filling out their roster, the team also selected Nidal "Mama Im Dat Man" Nasser, Connor "Dat Boy Shotz" Rodrigues, Andron "Lavish_Phenom" Thomas, Grant "GRANT MONSTER" Barker, and Jomar Varela "Jomar12 PR" Escapa. [2] [5] In May, the team lost the final of the NBA 2K League Tip-Off Tournament to 76ers Gaming Club. [6] One Wild Walnut and Dat Boy Shotz were named to the All-Tournament First Team, while Mama Im Dat Man made the All-Tournament Second Team. [6] Their second place finish earned the team a $30,000 prize split among the six players. [7] They later won the mid-season Turn Tournament, winning $75,600. [7] They finished the regular season with a 12–2 record, earning the number-one seed for the playoffs; [8] their playoff berth earned the team $25,000. [7] OneWildWalnut was named the 2KL Most Valuable Player (MVP) and Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY). [8] They were eliminated in the first round by Knicks Gaming. [7]

In 2019, Blazer5 Gaming clinched a spot in the playoffs, finishing as the number-one seed for the second consecutive year. [9] They finished the regular season 14–2, and recorded a 14-game winning streak during the season. [10] Mama Im Dat Man was named the league's MVP. [9] They once again lost in the first round of the playoffs, this time falling to Warriors Gaming Squad. [11]

In the 2020 season, Blazer5 Gaming defeated T-Wolves Gaming in the championship round of the Ticket Tournament, clinching a playoff berth in the process. [12] They finished the season with an 8–8 record, placing them sixth in the 2KL's newly-formed Western Conference. [13] The following season, they finished in seventh place in the conference with an 15–13 record. [13]

In October 2022, four Blazer5 Gaming players (Christopher Lafanette, Dorian Earl Miller, Robert Nastasi, and Marquis Gill), as well as their coach, Andrew Maxie, were indefinitely disqualified from any league activity. [14] [15] An investigation by the league found that Lafanette, Miller, and Nastasi; as well as Kimanni Ingram from Jazz Gaming and Zekirri Dennis of Mavs Gaming, as having wagered or attempted to wager on 2KL games, either themselves or through other individuals. [14] Maxie and Gill were also disqualified for failing to report violations or cooperate with the investigation. [14]

In July 2024, 2KL CEO Andrew Perlmutter held a town hall with the league's staff and management, firing everyone and placing Blazer5 Gaming, along with the rest of the entire league, on an 18-month hiatus intended to be spent revamping the league. [16]

Season-by-season results

5v5 format

SeasonFinish [a] W [b] L [b] Win% Playoffs Head Coach
20181st122.857L First Round (Knicks Gaming) [7]
20191st142.875L First Round (Warriors Gaming Squad) [11]
20206th88.500
20217th1513.536
2022Andrew Maxie
2023

3v3 format

SeasonFinish [a] WL Win% Playoffs Head Coach
2022
2023

Notes

  1. 1 2 The Finish column lists regular season results and excludes postseason play.
  2. 1 2 The Wins and Losses columns list regular season results and exclude any postseason play, or play in the "Tip-Off", "The Turn", or "The Ticket" tournaments. Regular and postseason records are combined only below the table.

References

  1. 1 2 "17 NBA teams to take part in inaugural NBA 2K esports league in 2018" (Press release). National Basketball Association. May 4, 2017. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  2. 1 2 3 Hoyt, Joseph (April 4, 2018). "Portland's Blazer5 Gaming drafts professional 2K team". KOIN . Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  3. ↑ "Alumni Spotlight: Mario Milosevic – Identity Design All-Star". Portland State University . Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  4. ↑ Wells, Adam (April 4, 2018). "NBA 2K League 2018 Draft Results: Full Selections and Rosters". Bleacher Report . Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  5. ↑ Marang, Dan (April 11, 2018). "Blazer5 Gaming Roster Set as eSports Hit Portland and the NBA". Blazer's Edge. Retrieved November 29, 2024– via SB Nation .
  6. 1 2 Mazique, Brian (May 6, 2018). "'NBA 2K' League Tip-Off Tournament Wrap-Up: MVP, All-Tournament Team, Positives And Negatives". Forbes . Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Campuzano, Eder (August 25, 2018). "Six guys made over $50,000 playing 'NBA 2K' for the Blazers this summer". OregonLive.com . Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  8. 1 2 "OneWildWalnut Named Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year". Blazer5 Gaming. August 11, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  9. 1 2 "Mama Im Dat Man Named 2019 NBA 2K League MVP". Blazer5 Gaming. July 25, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  10. ↑ "Win Streak Ends At 14 as Portland Drops Final Game of Regular Season". Blazer5 Gaming. July 18, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  11. 1 2 "Blazer5 Eliminated in First Round of 2019 NBA 2K League Playoffs". Blazer5 Gaming. July 24, 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Blazer5 Gaming wins THE TICKET Tournament and earns playoff spot". Blazer5 Gaming. August 22, 2020. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  13. 1 2 "Standings Archive". NBA 2K League . Retrieved April 26, 2025.
  14. 1 2 3 "NBA 2K League bans 6 players, coach for gambling violations". ESPN. October 27, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2024.
  15. ↑ Webster, Andrew (October 28, 2022). "NBA 2K League bans players for gambling on league games". The Verge . Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  16. ↑ "NBA 2K League unveils layoffs, reimagined business". Sports Business Journal . July 3, 2024. Retrieved April 26, 2025.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.