The 2x NBA 2K League Champions support the unveiling of a new esports lab with the donation to students at Eastern High School to foster skills and next-generation activities.
Washington, D.C. – Today, Wizards District Gaming (WDG), the professional esports team owned and operated by Monumental Sports & Entertainment, supported the unveiling of a new esports training experience at Eastern Senior High School in the Ward 7 district of Washington, D.C. by providing gaming equipment donated from the 2-time NBA 2K League Champions. Head Coach Patrick Crossan and all five players attended the event where students experienced the new technology for the first time, while joining in friendly competition against WDG players and learning about their professional experiences. The WDG players then turned spectators as two of Eastern’s competitive NBA2K players faced off in the PlayVS Eastern US Regional Semifinals from the new esports lab.
“We’re proud to donate this equipment to support the esports program at Eastern Senior High School, while continuing to foster an interest in competitive gaming in our region,” said Andrew McNeill, Senior Director of Esports for Monumental Sports & Entertainment. “Through this partnership we’ll help enhance the esports experience with professional grade equipment for the students to hone their skills and continue competing as amateurs, with hopes that many may pursue a professional esports career – whether as a gamer or in one of the thousands of jobs the industry supports on the business and technical sides.”
In all, 80+ items, equal to over $10K, were donated to the school’s gaming program, including premium gaming monitors, keyboards, wired and wireless headsets, audio mixers, mice, mousepads, Wizards District Gaming and Caps Gaming branded gaming chairs, and more.
Eastern Senior High School, a public school located in Washington DC, began its esports program in 2019 with Rocket League and League of Legends teams. Under the direction of Esports Coach Lee James the program officially began competing in Fall 2019 and now has approximately 50 students who participate in eight titles through PlayVS and certified through DCSAA. Popular titles that the team competes in include NBA2K, Rocket League, Overwatch, League of Legends, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Madden, and Splatoon.
“We are beyond grateful for the contribution Wizards District Gaming has made to our team and the other DCSAA esports teams here in DC,” said Coach James. “We are also thankful to have a community partner supporting local K-12 esports. All of our teams are excited to come down to District E and see WDG in action.”
Wizards District Gaming just celebrated the grand opening of their brand new esports and entertainment facility in downtown D.C., District E Powered By Ticketmaster. Students of the Eastern Senior High Esports program have been invited to the venue this spring to tour the space and experience live NBA 2K League competition, which is being hosted in District E for the 2023 season.
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About Wizards District Gaming
Wizards District Gaming, owned and operated by Monumental Sports & Entertainment, is part of the NBA 2K League, a professional esports league co-founded by the NBA and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO). Launched in 2018, the league features the best NBA 2K players in the world. Wizards District Gaming drafts and/or retains gamers as part of a team that competes as unique characters in matchups against 24 other teams in a mix of regular-season games, tournaments and playoffs. For more information about Wizards District Gaming, visit www.wizardsdg.com
