Ant, Bagmotion, Connor earn various 2023 All-NBA 2K League Team Honors DETROIT, Mich. – The NBA 2K League announced tonight during 2023 NBA 2K League All-Star Game that Pistons Gaming Team’s Anthony “Ant” Costanzo was named the 2023 NBA 2K League Most Valuable Player. Ant becomes the first player from Pistons GT to win League MVP honors in the team’s six-year history. “This award for Ant is a testament to his hard work and dedication to his craft,” Pistons GT Head Coach Duane Burton said. “From being ineligible for the draft to breaking into the league and being traded multiple times in his rookie season, Ant found his home with Pistons GT becoming a 3v3 Champion, SLAM Open MVP and Champion and now MVP of the NBA 2K League. We can’t wait to continue to watch him grow on and off the court and congratulate him as well as Bagmotion and Connor on their remarkable accomplishments this season.” An All-NBA 2K League First Team selection in 2023, Ant led the NBA 2K League in scoring and assists in 5v5 play, averaging 26.2 points and 11.9 assists. He posted a season-best 42 points on June 28 against Jazz Gaming and followed that performance up with 30 points and a season-high 21 assists against Grizz Gaming on June 30. Ant scored in double-digits in all 25 5v5 games and recorded 17 points-assists double-doubles. Pistons GT’s point guard was named NBA 2K League Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks in Week 5 and 6, the only player during the 2023 season to win the honor in consecutive weeks. Averaging 12.1 points and 2.1 assists in 99 games in 3v3 play, Ant led Pistons GT to the 2023 Coinbase SLAM Open Title, taking home MVP honors, and helped Pistons GT to the NBA 2K League 3v3 Finals. He averaged a team-best 13.4 points on 68.7% from the field and 48.1% from beyond the arc, 1.9 assists and 0.4 steals in 49 games in The Switch and a team-high 10.8 points on 64.0% shooting and 44.4% from three and 2.3 assists in 50 games during The SLAM. A native of Lakewood, Ohio, Ant was originally drafted 34th overall (second round) by Kings Guard Gaming in 2022. Pistons GT acquired him in a trade with Knicks Gaming on July 5, 2022, and helped GT to an NBA 2K League 3v3 Championship that same season. The NBA 2K League also announced that Pistons GT’s Ja’Ron “Bagmotion” Baylor was named to the 2023 All-NBA 2K League Second Team and NBA 2K League All-Defensive Second Team and Connor “Connor” Hardin was named to the 2023 NBA 2K League All-Rookie Team. Bagmotion (Defensive Player of the Year) and Connor (Rookie of the Year) were also finalists for NBA 2K League yearly awards. Ant, Bagmotion and Connor each represented Pistons GT at the 2023 NBA 2K League All-Star Weekend, the only trio of players from the same team to be selected to the All-Star game.
