*By Jacqueline Corba*
Denver Nuggets shooting guard Malik Beasley has already made it to the *real* NBA, and now the former first-round draft pick has his sights curiously set on the top tier of NBA2K, basketball's video-game analog.
"I think it's cool to see them compete, and it's different from actually being in the NBA," Beasley said Friday in an interview on Cheddar. "Even if they don't watch the NBA, if they are playing the games then they know a little something about us."
A real baller showing respect for the virtual ballers of the NBA's esports league is a telling sign of the times. Beasley said he enjoys playing video games like NBA2K with his teammates on the road, and said it's more than just a hobby.
"People always think that gaming is just bad if you are just sitting there and playing," he said. "If people get joy out of it, then enjoy that"
The NBA became the first professional sports league in the U.S. to launch an online league too. The NBA2K playoffs [tipped off Friday](https://cheddar.com/videos/e-trade-generation-trader-nba-2k-playoffs-kick-off) and were streaming on Twitch.
Building on the success of its inaugural season, the [NBA2K league announced] (https://2kleague.nba.com/news/nba-2k-league-announces-four-expansion-teams-for-2019-season/) recently it's adding four NBA teams ー the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Los Angeles Lakers, and Minnesota Timberwolves ー to the lineup in 2019.
Beasley wants to Nuggets to get in on the action.
"I'm going to help create that."
For more on this story, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/nba-athlete-malik-beasley-dishes-on-esports).
Will “wiill” Sims, in-game leader of the NobleGG team that recently qualified for the NPL preseason, started gaming as a League of Legends player in 2012. But his League of Legends skills didn’t foreshadow his later esports success. Sims talked with Cheddar Sports about his unlikely path from casual gamer to PUBG pro.
It's no secret that much of the popularity of Epic Games' smash hit Fortnite comes from its status as a free-to-play game. Now, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter says two other surprising titles may make the switch: Overwatch and Call of Duty.
It's become par for the course for Epic Games to release game-changing items in Fortnite just before tournaments. Ghost Gaming's Kayuun shares his worries for what that means for competitive Fortnite.
In a sign of how attitudes around gambling have changed as laws around it have softened, the NFL announced its first-ever partnership with a gambling company, naming Caesars as the league's official casino sponsor. Chris Holdren, chief marketing officer for Caesars, told Cheddar that the sponsorship represents the beginning of a relationship that could eventually become one where the NFL is directly endorsing sports betting.
Bull riding isn't just for the rodeo, anymore. It's coming to a major city near you ー and streaming online ー thanks largely to the efforts of Colorado-based Professional Bull Riders (PBR). And PBR CEO Sean Gleason told Cheddarthe organization has plenty more tricks up its sleeve to keep its momentum going.
The markets opened up sharply higher on Friday after Thursday's big sell-off. The turnaround was due in large part to investor optimism over the upcoming U.S.-China trade talks but also the December jobs report. The U.S. economy added 314,000 jobs last month, topping the 184,000 jobs expected. Plus, Professional Bull Riders CEO Sean Gleason and bull rider Tanner Bryne stopped by to chat about growing bull riding in the U.S. in an ever-changing media landscape.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, Jan. 4, 2019.
Fitness and beauty booking tool Mindbody is planning to make a play for the next big thing in wellness ー on-demand video, CEO Rick Stollmeyer told Cheddar on Thursday. "You can expect us to be playing in that space because we think that the on-demand and streaming video revolution hitting the fitness space is a big breakthrough," Stollmeyer said.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, Jan. 2, 2019.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Monday, Dec. 31, 2018.
