The Miami Heat has made the NBA playoffs in 20 of the last 23 years by building a winning culture. The team's chief marketing officer Michael McCullough said the Heat plans to bring that same championship mentality to eSports.
The NBA is making a bet on eSports, a multiplayer video-game tournament in which players are sponsored by actual teams, in the hope the league can recruit new fans.
Earlier this month, the NBA 2K league held its first-ever draft at Madison Square Garden. Seventeen NBA teams, including the Miami Heat, selected the top video-game ballers to compete in a basketball video-game championship.
McCullough said the Heat acquired a stake in the eSports organization Misfits to "bridge the gap between the 2K fan and the traditional Heat fan."
The NBA 2K league tips off May 1, in the middle of the actual NBA playoffs.
The Heat is tied 1-1 in an Eastern Conference first-round series with the Philadelphia 76ers. McCullough said the key to winning championships is believing in the idea that 15 players win championships, not 1 or 2.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/when-esports-and-real-sports-collide).
A look back on the decade.
Professional hockey has recently been facing difficult questions about diversity and the treatment of its players. Commissioner Gary Bettman talked to Cheddar about the work the NHL is doing to reverse its problems.
Michelle McKenna, the NFL's first chief information officer, joined Cheddar to discuss sports, technology, and breaking glass ceilings in male-dominated industries.
Durant and business partner Rich Kleiman's VC, Thirty Five Ventures, has joined the strategic advisory board of cannabis-focused venture capital firm Canopy Rivers.
Jerry Jones and his storied football franchise, the Dallas Cowboys, are giving to the needy through the Salvation Army over the holidays, and hoping the team gets going in its traditional Thanksgiving Day game.
Sam's Club partnered with Allyson Felix and Usain Bolt to promote its updated proprietary technology "Scan and Go" that lets shoppers keep track of items they want to purchase and skip the checkout line.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, November 27, 2019.
J. Michael Prince, U.S. Polo Assn. CEO, told Cheddar that the brand is behind on growing in the e-commerce space, but have plans to change that.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, November 26, 2019.
The NBA is continuing its push into the sports betting market. On Friday, the league announced on Cheddar that it inked a deal with UK-based Bet365, bringing its total partnerships with sports betting operators to five.
