Shaquille O’ Neal Joins NBA 2K League As a General Manager

While Shaquille O’Neal may not be the biggest name in the video game world, he’s certainly a [...]

By ComicBook.com Staff

Shaquille O'Neal

While Shaquille O'Neal may not be the biggest name in the video game world, he's certainly a relevant one. Along with his upcoming action title Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn, the former basketball star is also making an impact with the NBA 2K league.

Kings Guard Gaming has announced that the star, who also works as a broadcaster with TNT and has a minor stake in the Sacramento Kings, will serve as a general manager for its team, providing helpful basketball tips for the upcoming NBA 2K title, as well as evaluating players for the forthcoming draft. You can see his confirmation tweet below.

"I'm looking forward to my role with Kings Guard," said O'Neal about his appointment. "Just like I dominated the hardwood, music industry, showbiz, nicknames, and broadcasting, I plan to help build the most dominant 2K franchise in history."

"We're excited to have one of the biggest icons in basketball serve as a guiding voice for our first NBA 2K League team," said Sacramento Kings CTO and head of esports Ryan Montoya. "Shaq's global appeal combined with his knowledge and passion for the game will be invaluable as we work to build a team of elite gamers who are passionate and competitive team players."

The league recently finished up its combine this past January, and the draft is coming up on April 4, leading into the on-court action that will no doubt take place later this year. While 2K Sports hasn't confirmed NBA 2K19 just yet, it's inevitable, especially considering how well the basketball franchise has been selling over the past few years.

Kings Guard Gaming also noted in its press release, "To assist with the first-ever 2K League draft, the team has incorporated artificial intelligence and other innovations that examine player data sets, support from Sacramento Kings Vice President of Strategy and Analytics Luke Bornn, and additional basketball council from Shaq and gaming experts. In the coming weeks, Kings Guard will announce additional performance and human optimization staff who will support the team's growth and development."

Along with Shaq, this should make for a pretty good team entering the next round of 2K play later this year. You just can't go wrong with Shaq Fu, right?

We should see an announcement for NBA 2K19 soon, along with its relevant platforms, which should include Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC.

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