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Think back to 2005 when NBA 2K franchise was just getting off the ground. 2K Interactive started making basketball video games at the turn of the century (hence the name.), but it wasn’t until 2005 and onwards that NBA 2K began supplanting NBA Live as the hoops game of choice for NBA fans. It was also on a winter night of 2005 that the legend of Dee Curry, better known as Goofy757, began as he sat with his father and played ESPN 2K5 in their garage. Not knowing then the impact that that game could have on his future, Curry just was enjoying his time playing as some of his favorite NBA players. Fast forward to 2018 and Dee Curry is headed to the NBA 2K League and expected to make an immediate impact.
The NBA 2K League is an esports league that has 17 teams vying for a shot at winning the NBA 2K League championship. The draft is on April 4, 2018 and everything is all set for the beginning of the season. The league is in the interview portion and players are getting calls daily from perspective teams. The teams are asking questions to try to get to know the players better before finalizing their mock drafts and establishing roster strategies.
We spoke with Dee Curry and he mentioned that teams were asking “questions about myself. What can 2K do for you? … Questions like that.” Teams are doing their due diligence to make sure they get players that fit their mold. Curry is one of those players that is trying to sell himself to every team that is in contact with him.
The interview process is not the only thing that Curry is using to prove he is worth a spot on perspective teams. He is putting in the time and effort to make sure his skills are at the top level when the competition begins. After having an easy time picking up the required 50 wins during the Pro-Am, Curry enjoyed the 2K League Combine, finding the entire process to be a great experience.
“I enjoyed doing that. You meet different personalities. You meet different players and you learn how to adjust because not everybody has the same game. You know you meet different people and every single game you play it is always somebody different. It’s just a learning experience,” said Curry about his combine experience. Learning was a great way for Goofy757 to turn into a better player. It is easy to think you are great at the game against a computer, but proving yourself against the top players out there is the best way to distance yourself from your peers and competition.
Going forward Curry has a lot of confidence about where he will go in the NBA 2K League. It does not really matter which team drafts him, but Curry would be open to staying close to home. Family is important to Curry, but he also wants to go to a team that will give him a chance to win.
“I’m a winner and anything I do, I am most likely going to win,” Curry said confidently. That confidence comes from somewhere and it most likely is because Curry is playing against the competition he will be challenging in the league. In his preparations, Goofy757 puts in the work to hone his skills and become the best player he can be. In an average week, Curry is on NBA 2K18 about 50 hours. It has become a full-time job before the league even officially started and any contracts have been signed.
“I am playing pickups each night verses the 102 … I’m just working on my game,” Curry mentions about his preparations going forward. At the end of the day this is something that Dee Curry has been preparing for dating back to the garage days of 2005. He probably did not realize it at a young age, but those casual hours of fun blended into practice reps and that hard work is finally paying off.
“Not too many people get the opportunity to work in the NBA or play video games for a living,” Dee Curry said about the opportunity to be a professional gamer. The emergence of esports and the 2K league specifically is primed to change the life of a guy known by Goofy757 who was going to school and playing video games at the same time before the NBA 2K League came into being. The upcoming, hopeful 2K star has a message for everyone that is out there struggling to find his or her way in the world:
“If you have a dream, shoot for the stars and do not let anybody stop you of accomplishing what you want to do in life.”