I went to the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA home game vs the Oklahoma City Thunder today as a celebration for both my own and my mother’s birthday, and on the way to the game I discussed with her whether or not the Cavaliers would mention that their esports arm was playing its debut match that same night. After all, their peers, The Golden State Warriors, have been very vocal about their new team, the Golden Guardians, even bringing them onto the court before a game. However, the Cavaliers have been rather silent about the existence of this new venture, their esports team 100 Thieves, and the competitive scene they find themselves a part of.
Even on the night of the 100 Thieves’ debut match, the Cavs couldn’t spare even a handful of seconds at their regular NBA game to mention that the team existed. NBA teams have been flocking to esports over the past couple of years, so much so that the premier tournament for League of Legends in North America — the North America League Championship Series (NA LCS) — has been teasingly nicknamed the “NBA LCS” by many of its fans. Teams like the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets have been very vocal and open about their esports ventures, but the Cavaliers have been disappointingly quiet through any of their official channels, relegating their team the 100 Thieves to gain a fan base on its own, essentially nullifying the Cleveland link.
GSW and the Rockets even named their teams to be reflective of the NBA franchises from which they come, naming them the Golden Guardians and Clutch Gaming, respectively.
For more info on League of Legends esports or the 100 Thieves, check out my other entries on this profile, and for further breakdowns of the League of Legends scene, stay tuned. The 100 Thieves play again tomorrow night against Counter-Logic Gaming at approximately 7 p.m.Eastern Time.
