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SALT LAKE CITY — The Jazz family is about to grow.
But the organization known for John Stockton, Karl Malone, Gordon Hayward, Rudy Gobert and — most recently — Donovan Mitchell won’t be adding a point guard or a small forward.
Five gamers will join the Utah Jazz franchise in Salt Lake City — under the Utah Jazz Gaming banner for the inaugural season of the NBA 2K League in May.
Which means it’s pre-draft time for the Jazz, starting with Friday night’s “Grind Night.”
More than a thousand gamers showed up Friday, hoping to make a good first impression en route to being one of the select five.
"This is a job interview for a professional career in video games: playing video games and getting paid for it," Jazz director of esports Josh Barney said. "It’s a very new concept that a lot of people are having trouble figuring out."
Jazz Gaming is one of 17 franchises that will compete in the NBA 2K League in 2018. Players from anywhere in the world, with the exception of China, have until the end of January to win 50 games in the game’s Pro Am mode.
Then the competition really heats up.
"Anybody who qualifies for the league will go in and have another qualifying period," Barney said. "They will go and play games and all of those stats pile up. The top 100 people will be raised up and they will be made eligible to be drafted in March by 17 teams."
Jazz Gaming prospect Aditya Gundlapally was one of those in attendance hoping for his shot at the big time.
Think of it as the NBA Combine, or pro day, for pro gaming prospects.
"It’s great that the Jazz and other NBA teams are getting in on this," Gundlapally said. "Players and gamers know they aren’t just playing for fun. There is something more out there, if that’s what they want to do."
He has a shot. So, too, does Christopher Hayslett, better known by his gaming handle CutTheNet-ch.
"I don't take bad shots," Hayslett said. "I have one of the best field-goal percantages out there."
But the upcoming draft is about more than handles, stats and hours in the virtual gym.
"We want basketball players, but we want good personalities as well," Barney said. "One of the things with esports is content. We want people who want to play the game, but people that want to be stars just like the Utah Jazz."
Jazz Gaming will host another Grind Night Jan. 27 at 6 p.m. MST.
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