Bronx native Isiah “Wavy” Hancock didn’t wait long to hear his name called to the stage in last month’s NBA 2K League Draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. But getting drafted by the expansion Nets Gaming Crew (NetsGC) — the Brooklyn Nets’ NBA 2K League team — made the night perfect.
“The feeling is definitely indescribable until this very day,” Hancock recently told amNewYork. “I’m New York, born and raised. I just like to represent my city, and what better way to represent my city than being drafted to the 2K League team of my city.”
NetsGC took Wavy with the 12th overall pick in the second-year e-sports league’s annual draft. Wavy was one of 150 players who qualified for the draft, a field narrowed from more than 7,000 players who tried out in the league’s online combine in December.
“You know, in the [NBA 2K Pro-Am] community, New York is one of the hotbeds for talent,” said Ivan “OG King Curt” Curtiss, NetsGC’s general manager and head coach. “[Wavy is] a tough competitor, optimistic player and a good leader. I felt like he would be very helpful in building our team.”
For the 2019 season, NetsGC are one of four teams added from the inaugural year’s 17. As a member of a new team, Wavy hopes to have an immediate impact on the team’s reputation.
“I want to be a key component in putting the team on the map,” Wavy said. “It’s my first year playing in the NBA 2K League and it’s the Nets first year of being an e-sports organization. We have all the freedom in the world right now to shape our identity.”
Wavy and NetsGC spent the last few weeks preparing for Tuesday’s season-opening tournament, The Tipoff. They’ll take on defending league champion Knicks Gaming, who stunned the league last year and won the inaugural title as the eighth seed.
“We’re definitely really excited for that game coming up,” Wavy said. “This is a great chance for us to make a name for ourselves. Going up against the defending champs from the start, our very first game, we’re getting put to the ultimate test. We’re really looking forward to it.”
