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Pacers Gaming makes the most of national spotlight during pandemic

Members of the Pacers Gaming league. (WISH Photo)

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — You may remember News 8’s first visit two years ago with the NBA’s brand new professional videogame league.

A collection of the top six video game players in the country, masters at NBA 2K 2020, represents us here in Indianapolis.

The team, Pacers Gaming, is in its third season of national completion and recently — they hit it big.

“I can’t believe I was playing on ESPN2 last night,” said former Pacers Gaming No. 1 overall pick Bryant Colon. “It definitely hasn’t hit me, but it is a dream come true.”

Colon, known inside the NBA 2K 2020 world as Wolf, carries quite the following online. 

“I am hovering around 10,000 (followers) on Twitter, and on Twitch I am close to 10,000 as well,” Colon said. “A lot of people stream. A lot of people watch me play.”
“I have blown out of the water since I joined the (NBA 2K 2020) league.”

The leader of this crew is Cody Parrent, head coach of Pacers Gaming, and his following on Twitter is just shy of 30,000.

As you can tell by these numbers, the gaming world is no long shot in terms of long-term viability. 

Given the lack of professional sports on television due to the coronavirus pandemic, ESPN2 recently picked up weekly broadcasts of NBA 2K contests.

“A lot of eyeballs on us right now because there are no traditional sports out there,” Parrent said. “So, I think it is just a great way to show what we have.”

Pacers Gaming is grabbing a sliver of the spotlight and working to make it count.