Dayton native enjoys successful second season
Curtiss is general manager of Nets GC in NBA 2K League.
The second season DAYTON — in the NBA 2K League was nothing like the first for IvanCurtiss, the 1997Dunbar High School graduatewho’s general manager for NetsGC (Gaming Crew). Then again, nothing about2020has been like any other year.
The coronavirus pandemic shut down the NBA on March 11 and the rest of the sportsworldthe next day and also delayed the season for theNBA’s esports league. When play did start in May, Curtiss and his team played together at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
“It was tough because we didn’t knowwhatwas going oninitially,” Curtisssaid,“and then youstart to see themagnitude ofwhat was happening and we happen to be in the epicenter. It was just a different mindset for me. I kind of went into parental mode for the players. I have players from all over, and they hadn’t really been away from home.”
Curtiss, 41, served as a lifeline between his young gamers and their parents, who were reassured by the lengths the NBA 2K League went to keep the players safe during the pandemic. The league not only provided the basics— gloves and hand sanitizer — but also private transportation for the players, allowing them to move safely between their apartments to the BarclaysCenter.
“I couldn’t thank the organization enough for that,” Curtiss said. “We didn’t have to worry about traveling on the train or Uber anything like that. Wewere kind of living a lavish life so to speak during that time. They took very good care of us.”
Making the playoffs
Curtiss entered the online gaming world in 2011 and co-foundedtheMyPlayerBasketball Association (MPBA) around NBA 2K in 2015. The NBA 2K League started play in 2018. Curtiss joined the league in 2019 for its second season, coaching and managing a group of six players in Brooklyn.
Nets GC finished 8-8 in 2020 and made the playoffs
forthefirsttime. Curtissspent the spring and most of the summer in New York City with his team.
Although the pandemic didn’t stop the season, it did alter it. In previous seasons, teams would travel to play against each other in the same arena, and fans wouldwatchthemin person. This season, teamscompeted remotely, and fanswatched live streams.
Playersareusedtocompeting remotely because that’s whattheydidwhentheywere amateurs, Curtisssaid. Onthe other hand, not being able to compete in front of a live audience or engage in trash
talking with other teams in the same room took away some of the enjoyment.
“That’s our secret sauce: the trash talking,” Curtiss said. “It gives it that authentic feel like you’re actually on the court.”
NetsGClost 2-0to theHornets Venom GT in a best-ofthree series in the first round of the playoffs, falling 74-69 and 73-71.
Using their platform
The NBA 2K League season also took place during a period that saw protests sweep the country following the death ofGeorge Floyd in Minneapolisandtheshooting of Jacob Blakeby a policeofficer in Kenosha, Wis.
NBAplayersusedtheirplatformall summertospeakout against systemic racism, even walkingoutontheplayoffsfor several days in August. The NBA 2K League also used its voices to support the Black Lives Matter movement.
Prior to the start of theNBA 2KLeague’s finals series, Curtiss participated in a online conversation about social justice with two other general managers in the league.
“It’s tough times,” Curtiss said. “I’m gladwe’re getting to the point where we having conversations. Everybody’shopingforchange. I’m a pretty optimistic person. I see a lot of negative things. Fortunately, for me, I haven’t encountered a lot, but I’ve heard things fromfamily members. I think nowwe’re getting to the point where everyone’s using their platform effectively. To start the conversations, I think that’s the only true way we can start to get the change that we want to see.”
The owners of the Brooklyn Nets, ClaraWu Tsai and Joe Tsai, who also own the WNBA’s New York Liberty and the Barclays Center, responded to themovement by pledging $50 million over 10 years. Themoney will support “social justice and economic mobility initiatives that will benefit Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), with a priority focus on Brooklyn.”
The NBA had “Black Lives Matter” painted on the court it’s using for the playoff bubble in Orlando. The NBA 2K League had the same messageonits digital court inside the video game. Curtiss said everyone in the league received Black Lives Matter T-shirts and used their platforms on social media to speak from the heart.
“I think our league handled it very well, as well as the Brooklyn Nets organization,” Curtiss said. “Anytime I get a chance to brag onmy organization, I will— because it’s one of the most diverse organizations. I never feel like I’m at work. Everybody is always willing to help each other. It’s just a family atmosphere. It’s a dreamjob, and it’s a dreamplace to bewhile doing your dream job.”