eSports
USA Basketball Set to Hold Trials for USA National Gaming Team

Thirty of the top basketball 2K gamers have accepted invitations to the first trials for a USA Basketball E-National Team, set to be held virtually Nov. 7-8, 2020. The trials will be used to select a national team that will represent the United States at the FIBA Esports Open II in the North and Central American Conference on Dec. 19-20. The seven-member, mixed-gender USA squad will tip-off virtually against gaming teams from Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras and Puerto Rico for the right to be crowned conference champions.
āUSA Basketball is excited to take this first step in becoming a part of the gaming community and the FIBA Esports Open,ā said Jim Tooley, USA Basketball CEO. āThe gaming world has seen rapid growth, evidenced by the large number of gamers and fans involved, and the timing and opportunities makes sense for USA Basketball to add an e-national team to compete in future international FIBA competitions. Just as USA Basketball does with its five-on-five and 3×3 national teams, we look forward to selecting high-character and gold medal competitive national teams for this and future FIBA esport competitions.”
In order to be eligible to compete, gamers must be a U.S. citizen who is at least 16 and have a minimum My Career Character rating of 95.
The 30 gamers who have accepted invitations include 23 men and seven women from across the country.
The invitees include ABPureblood20 (Amber Sammons/HeartCrushers); ALittleLady87 (Wendi Fleming/BallHerAlert); Arooks (Aaron Rookwood/Bucks Gaming); BearDaBeast (Michael Key/T-Wolves Gaming); CB13 (Charles Bostwick/Warriors Gaming Squad); Chiquitae126 (Chiquita Evans/BallHerAlert); Crush (Rafel Davis/Kings Guard Gaming); Dayfri (Ryan Conger/Wizards District Gaming); Dimez (Artreyo Boyd/Mavs Gaming); DjLayyy (Alaina Haney/HeartCrushers); FEAST (Mihad Feratovic/T-Wolves Gaming); G O O F Y 7 5 7 (Dayvon Curry/Grizz Gaming); Gradient (Samuel Salyers/Warriors Gaming Squad); HazelChildress4 (Hazel Childress/BallHerAlert); Hotshot (Juan Gonzalez/Heat Check Gaming); icygrl (Brianna Novin/BallHerAlert); iKilledZiah (Ziah Minor/HeartCrushers); JBM (John Mascone/Wizards District Gaming); Kenny Got Work (Kenneth Hailey/Raptors Uprising GC); Legit 973 (Jake Knapp/Raptors Uprising GC); Mama Im Dat Man (Nidal Nasser/Kings Guard Gaming); OneWildWalnut (Dayne Downey/Blazer5 Gaming); OriginalMalik (Malik Hobson/Knicks Gaming); Radiant (Ethan White/76ers GC); Ramo (Ramo Radoncic/Pistons GT); Regg (Reginald Nash Jr./Bucks Gaming); Ria (Spencer Wyman/Jazz Gaming); Sick One (Gerald Knapp/Raptors Uprising GC); Timelycook513 (Eric Donald/Raptors Uprising GC); and Zae (Zaeya Ishak/Hornets Venom GT).
Team selections will be made by the USA Basketball E-National Team Selection Panelists, featuring NBA 2K League community ambassador Graham Borden; Wizards District Gaming team manager Patrick Crossan; Utah Jazz Gaming coach Jelani Mitchell; Aerial Powers, a 2015 World University Games gold medalist and a forward with the WNBA Washington Mystics; and USA Basketball Youth & Sport Development assistant director Andrea Travelstead.
While this will be USA Basketballās first foray into esports, the tournament will mark the second edition of the FIBA Esports Open, the first of which took place in June and included five conferences featuring 114 gamers from 17 national federations. The FIBA Esports Open II field has been expanded to 38 national teams in seven regional conference.
Each national team will consist of up to seven players, five on the court and two reserves. Games will be played remotely on NBA 2K21 using the Pro-AM mode and allowing for customization of gamer avatars and uniforms.
The North & Central Americas Conference games will stream live on FIBAās YouTube, Twitch and Facebook channels.
The USA Basketball E-National Team trials will feature the 30 gamers split into six different teams for the first trials session, which will feature round-robin play. As is the case with all USA Basketball team trials, the USA Basketball E-National Team Selection Panelists will have the ability to make changes to teams in order to allow players to compete with and against a variety of other players in order to allow the panelists to select a competitive team to represent USA Basketball at the FIBA Esports Open.
Africa, Middle East and Southeast Asia conferences will be played Nov. 14-15, the Europe Conference is scheduled for Dec. 12-13 and the South America Conference will be held Dec. 19-20.
As was the case for the inaugural FIBA Esports Open, this entire series will be produced from the FIBA Esports Studio in Riga, Latvia, with 54 hours of live content being streamed on FIBA’s Facebook, Twitch and YouTube channels. Each game will be available online with live commentary in English, as well as a daily show featuring up to 12 games.
eSports
Fighting Game GOAT Justin Wong Joins BASILISK, Scienceās Esports Team

BASILISK, the global esports organization built to champion science, announced the signing of legendary fighting game competitor Justin āJwongā Wong as captain of its newly formed Fighting Game Community (FGC) Division. Wong will lead BASILISKās entry into the FGC by recruiting players, developing community events, and creating FGC – science crossover content.
āJustin isnāt just a competitive genius ā he is a cultural icon and humble leader within the FGC. We are incredibly proud to have him leading our FGC division and support the amazing work he already does for the community,ā said BASILISK co-founder Christopher Bothur.
A nine-time Evolution Championship Series (Evo) Champion and Guinness World Record holder, Wong brings unparalleled FGC credibility and expertise to BASILISK. His reach extends across the entire FGC fandom of millions, and he was immortalized in Evo Moment #37 which has over 100 million views.
As Captain of BASILISK FGC, Wong will leverage BASILISKās data analytics to scout and train the next generation of FGC pros.
āMath is super important to fighting games. Iām excited to join scienceās esports team. Iām passionate about finding promising players with a positive mentality and shaping them into the next big thing. I want to see somebody else in the spotlight after me and help them reach their potential. If we can discover the next world champion, that would be fantastic,ā said Wong upon joining BASILISK.
The signing comes on the heels of BASILISKās new partnerships with The Planetary Society and Caltechās Institute for Quantum Information and Matter (IQIM), announced in July. These collaborations create a powerful bridge between renowned scientific institutions and gamers, which Wong will amplify to his millions of followers and fans.
āJustin is a dream addition to our organization. He exemplifies the dedication and analytical capacity required to be an esports champion or great scientist,ā added BASILISK co-founder Hans Kassier.
Wong becomes the second āGOATā (Greatest of All Time) to join BASILISK, alongside Finnish StarCraft 2 legend Joona āSerralā Sotala, who just captured the SC2 Esports World Cup Championship in July 2025. The signing also creates opportunities for cross-over content with BASILISKās diverse roster, including chess Grandmaster Vincent Keymer and award-winning science communicator Kyle Hill, who brings over 2.5 million followers and a vast network of science enthusiasts to the organization.
eSports
Fighting Game GOAT Justin Wong Joins BASILISK, Scienceās Esports Team

Nine-time Evo Champion and Guinness World Record Holder Brings Legendary Status to Captain New Team, Recruit Talent, and Advance Scienceās Role in Competitive Gaming
BASILISK, the global esports organization built to champion science, today announced the signing of legendary fighting game competitor Justin āJWongā Wong as captain of its newly formed Fighting Game Community (FGC) Division. Wong will lead BASILISKās entry into the FGC by recruiting players, developing community events, and creating FGC – science crossover content.
āJustin isnāt just a competitive genius ā he is a cultural icon and humble leader within the FGC,ā said BASILISK co-founder Christopher Bothur. āWe are incredibly proud to have him leading our FGC division and support the amazing work he already does for the community.ā
A nine-time Evolution Championship Series (Evo) Champion and Guinness World Record holder, Wong brings unparalleled FGC credibility and expertise to BASILISK. His reach extends across the entire FGC fandom of millions, and he was immortalized in Evo Moment #37 which has over 100 million views.
As Captain of BASILISK FGC, Wong will leverage BASILISKās data analytics to scout and train the next generation of FGC pros.
āMath is super important to fighting games. Iām excited to join scienceās esports team,ā said Wong upon joining BASILISK. āI’m passionate about finding promising players with a positive mentality and shaping them into the next big thing. I want to see somebody else in the spotlight after me and help them reach their potential. If we can discover the next world champion, that would be fantastic.ā
The signing comes on the heels of BASILISKās new partnerships with The Planetary Society and Caltechās Institute for Quantum Information and Matter (IQIM), announced in July. These collaborations create a powerful bridge between renowned scientific institutions and gamers, which Wong will amplify to his millions of followers and fans.
āJustin is a dream addition to our organization,ā added BASILISK co-founder Hans Kassier. āHe exemplifies the dedication and analytical capacity required to be an esports champion or great scientist.ā
Wong becomes the second āGOATā (Greatest of All Time) to join BASILISK, alongside Finnish StarCraft 2 legend Joona āSerralā Sotala, who just captured the SC2 Esports World Cup Championship in July 2025. The signing also creates opportunities for cross-over content with BASILISK’s diverse roster, including chess Grandmaster Vincent Keymer and award-winning science communicator Kyle Hill, who brings over 2.5 million followers and a vast network of science enthusiasts to the organization.
Compliance Updates
Oddin.gg Officially Registered with LOTBA as a Supplier in the City of Buenos Aires

Oddin.gg has been officially registered as a supplier by the Lottery of the City of Buenos Aires (LOTBA). This authorization clears the way for Oddin.gg to provide its end-to-end esports betting ecosystemāincluding its Odds Feed, Risk Management, BetBuilder, Widgets, and moreāto licensed operators in the City of Buenos Aires. The milestone reinforces Oddin.ggās strategic focus on supporting partners across Latin America.
LOTBA, the regulatory authority for online gaming within the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is well known for its rigorous compliance and technical standards. While the body manages licensing and enforcement, suppliers must undergo a formal registration process before providing services to local operators. Oddin.ggās successful registration confirms that it has met all relevant technical, financial, and compliance requirements.
Juana Bischoff, Senior Business Development Manager LATAM at Oddin.gg, said: āBeing officially registered with LOTBA marks an important step in Oddin.ggās long-term commitment to the Latin American market. Esports is gaining real traction across the region, and we want operators in Buenos Airesāand beyondāto have the tools and insight to deliver a top-tier esports betting experience. Weāre not just bringing leading technologyāweāre bringing the local expertise and regulatory awareness needed to help our partners like Betsson and Jugadon grow.ā
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