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Pacers enter world of esports with NBA 2K League team

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Pacers are entering the world of esports.

Pacers Sports and Entertainment announced Tuesday afternoon they are adding a gaming team next year in an event at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

The team will have five players selected through a draft. They will then face other teams in the NBA 2K video game.

According to the Pacers, the team will be one of 17 in the NBA 2K league, which debuts in May 2018.

“The next generation of sports fans is that 18 to 34-year-old that is really living online,” said Kelly Krauskopf of Pacers Sports and Entertainment. “They live in a totally different digital world and we think that’s where the next generation of fans is going to come from.”

The group also unveiled the team’s logo, which features a modernized Pacers panther, similar to mascot Boomer.