NBA 2K: what it’s like to get paid playing e-sports for a living – trash talk, big money and a relentless work ethic
- Blazer5 Gaming’s Dayne ‘OneWildWalnut’ Downey says he still has to pinch himself from time to time
- American discusses what it takes to succeed in the cutthroat world of e-sports
Dayne “OneWildWalnut” Downey has what many feel is a dream job: he gets paid to play video games.
The 20-year-old, who hails from Los Angeles, plays for the Portland Trail Blazers’ Blazer5 Gaming in the NBA 2K League. The professional e-sports league is a joint venture between the NBA and video game company Take-Two Interactive, and features 21 affiliate squads.
Downey, who just finished his first season playing for Blazer5 in the league’s inaugural campaign, nabbing the season MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards, said he does have to pinch himself from time to time.
“Now I’m more used to it, and my friends and family are more used to it, but it’s still a bit surreal,” he told the South China Morning Post. Downey was in Hong Kong last weekend providing commentary for the league’s first international qualifying invitational event, which took place in Mong Kok.
Downey’s Blazer5 team were booted from the first round of the NBA 2K League Playoffs after finishing first in the regular season with only two losses.
Having made the league through a series of combines (70,000 originally tried out in the US) playing against other potential players, Downey said he’s always been a big basketball fan. The Hong Kong event this past weekend will select players for the 2019 NBA 2K League Draft.