Pacers Gaming brings new NBA franchise to Indy

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Up on the fourth floor of the St. Vincent Center, two floors above the team’s practice court, sits a gaming paradise.

Hearing the Pacers likely brings to mind players like Victor Oladipo and Myles Turner, but there’s a branch of the franchise with just as much clout as the top NBA players in the league.

“It really is just basketball. And that’s what we know best here in Indiana, is basketball,” said Cody Parrent.

The inaugural season of NBA 2K hit the ground running in April with 17 franchises, each with six players, all in hopes of emerging as the best in the league at the end.

“Ultimately winning is the goal for everyone. We had a little bit of a rocky start; we’re on a two-game win streak. We’re looking to make a playoff push and hopefully compete for a championship year one,” said Parrent. 

And NBA 2K is not for the faint of heart. These gamers practice 6-10 hours per day. Out of 72,000 people who tried out for the league, 102 were drafted, meaning the players are some of the best in the world.

“I mean, I just played the game for fun, just because I loved it and I’m competitive. And now to say that I’m part of an NBA organization and part of the NBA, it’s amazing,” said player Bryant Colon.

“For someone like me, when your dream was probably to be in the NBA and getting to call my dad and tell him that I made it to the NBA and you didn’t — we were laughing about that,” said player George Polk.

The Pacers were riding a two-game winning streak into the last weekend of June. Each match is played in New York.

With high stakes at the tips of their fingers, this team has an end goal in mind.

“It’s what I came here to do. I want to win, and I want to win a championship,” said Colon.

“We think these guys will have brands just as big as Victor and Myles and the rest of the Pacers crew,” said Parrent.