DETROIT, Mich. – The Pistons Gaming Team (Pistons GT) announced that the club selected Connor “Spammy” Hardin with the 18th overall pick and Brandon “BRich” Richardson with the 20th overall pick in last night’s 2023 NBA 2K League Draft.
Spammy and BRich join NBA 2K League 3v3 Championship MVP center Ramo “Ramo” Radoncic, point guard Anthony “Ant SZN” Costanzo and small forward Ja’Ron “Bagmotion” Baylor from last year’s squad to round out this season’s Pistons GT roster.
“We are extremely excited about adding two high-level players in Spammy and BRich to Pistons GT,” said Duane Burton, General Manager and Head Coach of Pistons GT. “Spammy and BRich each bring elite defensive play and their playing styles will complement the rest of our roster. We look forward to building upon our success in 3v3 from last year and making some noise in 5v5 play this season.”
The NBA 2K League Draft pool consisted of players who won draft eligibility as part of the “NBA 2K League Draft Prospect Series,” “Sony Scouting Grounds” tournaments, unretained players from last season, select competitors in the NBA 2K League’s APAC, Australian and European Invitationals, and other high-performing players in the 2K community as determined by league and team officials.
A list of players selected by Pistons GT and their positions and home states/countries as well as the current rostered Pistons GT players are listed below:
Pistons Gaming Team 2023 Draft Selections
Draft Round/Selection Position Name Gamer Tag City, State/Country
1/No. 18 overall Power Forward Connor Hardin Spammy Kernersville, NC
1/No. 20 overall Shooting Guard Brandon Richardson BRich Louisa, KY
Pistons Gaming Team Roster
Draft Year/Round/Selection Position Name Gamer Tag City, State/Country
2018/1/No. 5 Overall Center Ramo Radoncic Ramo Brooklyn, NY
*2022/2/No. 34 Overall Point Guard Anthony Costanzo Ant SZN Lakewood, OH
2022/2/No. 37 Overall Small Forward Ja’Ron Baylor Bagmotion Baltimore, MD
*Acquired via trade from Knicks Gaming in exchange for Ethan “Radiant” White on July 5, 2022.
Last season, Pistons GT won the inaugural NBA 2K League 3v3 Championship, sweeping Wizards District Gaming in the finals, 4-0. Ramo was named MVP of the tournament, averaging 8.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in the finals. The NBA 2K League will announce additional information related to Pistons GT’s and the NBA 2K League’s 2023 season including season structure, schedule and location, prize pool and open qualifiers at a later date.
The NBA 2K League, a joint venture between the NBA and Take-Two Interactive, is a professional esports league featuring the best NBA 2K players in the world and is the first official esports league operated by a U.S. professional sports league. According to Newzoo, the global esports audience will reach 532 million this year and will generate revenues of $1.38 billion, over a 14.5% year-over-year increase. A number of NBA teams, owners and former players are already looking to the future of the esports industry, investing in esports franchises/holding companies.
About the NBA 2K League
The NBA 2K League, a professional esports league co-founded by the NBA and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO), launched in 2018 and features 25 teams and the best NBA 2K players in the world. NBA 2K League partners include Anheuser-Busch, AT&T, Champion Athleticwear, Coinbase, Dash Radio, Google, Loco, Mondelēz International, SAP, Snickers, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sport1, SPS, Wilson and YouTube. For more information, visit NBA2KLeague.com.
