The Philadelphia 76ers Gaming Club Have Announced Their Management Team For NBA 2K League
By Zac Cameron ·
The new management duo will use dynamic analytics to oversee team operations and player selection during the first ever NBA 2K League Draft
The Philadelphia 76ers Gaming Club has today revealed their new General Manager and Assistant General Manager for the upcoming NBA 2K League. The partnership of GM Michael Lai and AGM Ian Hillman will use their experience in building dynamic infrastructure and models, analytics, business strategy and process implementation as the team looks towards the League’s inaugural draft, taking place on Wednesday the 4th of April at The Hulu Theater at Madison Square Garden’s Lobby in New York City.
Michael Lai’s previous experience as a Data Scientist for the Philadelphia 76ers Analytics and Strategy Department and Ian Hillman’s experience as the Director of Strategy within Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment will provide them with the knowledge and experience they’ll need to successfully manage the team as the League begins.
Chris Heck, Philadelphia 76ers President of Business Operations, had nothing but praise for the duo, stating that “Michael Lai and Ian Hillman have distinguished themselves as rising stars in the sports industry, and we’re confident that their dynamic blend of skills will drive 76ers Gaming Club and the NBA 2K League to success. As we plan for next week’s inaugural Draft, we believe Michael and Ian will build an exciting team by pairing their passion and knowledge for Esports with their deep understanding of how to apply analytics and strategy to both the 76ers GC sport and business.”
“It is an incredible honor to be named the first-ever 76ers GC General Manager,” said Michael Lai. “I have a long history within the Esports space, having played competitively for a number of years. That experience gives me a unique perspective on how to best handle player evaluation and management of player well-being. I am excited to combine my past experience with my expertise in basketball analytics to help build the team and business of 76ers Gaming Club.”
“I have played NBA 2K since 2000, when Allen Iverson appeared on the cover for five-straight years. Being named the 76ers Gaming Club’s Assistant General Manager is an exciting opportunity to apply my strategy and analytics skill set to a game which I’ve been a fan of for 15-plus years,” said Ian Hillman. “I look forward to the opportunity to be part of the NBA 2K League’s inaugural season and leverage resources across HBSE’s dynamic global properties to ensure 76ers Gaming Club’s success on and off the court.”
As the NBA 2K League gears up to begin, the 76ers are well poised to gain an early advantage with these new additions to their team. They aren’t the only ones playing NBA 2K however, with several big names making appearances on popular streaming sites such as Twitch.tv. You can find the full press release from the 76ers on their website, here.