The NBA 2K League announced its first-ever development camp for elite female NBA 2K players, set to take place at the NBA 2K League Studio in New York from Aug. 20-23.
“The NBA 2K League Development Camp: Women in Gaming” will host 15 of the top female NBA 2K players competing and learning alongside NBA 2K League coaches Derric “FamousEnough” Franklin (Heat Check Gaming), Ivan “OGKINGCURT” Curtiss (NetsGC) and Cody Parrent (Pacers Gaming), according to The Undefeated, as well as former WNBA player Taj McWilliams-Franklin, professional GSGO player Theia and more.
Current 2K League players CB13 of Warriors Gaming Squad and NateKahl of NetsGC will also be participating in the camp, as well as former player Brian “Nacho” Traynor, who recently was announced as Hornets Venom GT’s Marketing and Team Operations Manager.
“We believe a more diverse player pool will be a stronger player pool and that this camp will show there are more women who have the talent to play at the highest level,” league Managing Director Brendan Donohue told The Undefeated’s Brandon Simeo Starkey. “Our hope is that at least a few of these women end up excelling in the combine because of this camp and getting drafted, which we think will inspire more women to strive to make the league and lead to a stronger player pool.”
Only one woman, Warriors Gaming Squad’s Chiquita “Quita” Evans, played in the league this season. Evans and Brianna “IcyGirl” Novin were the only two women to qualify for the 198-person season two draft pool after none made the final cut for the first season.
“The main reason I wanted to participate in the camp was because I wanted to be part of something that raises the awareness of the NBA 2K League to female gamers, and I would be somebody that the ladies would be familiar with from the 2K community,” Franklin told The Undefeated. “I feel like it’s important to increase the number of female gamers in the 2K League because there’s no gender when it comes to playing video games. A lot of female gamers get discouraged by the process early, and I want to be one of the ones to tell them that they can indeed see the process through to the end.”
