MANILA, Philippines – Life was different for Shaka Browne when he roamed the busy streets of New York as an Uber driver just a few months ago. 

From spending almost half of his day in front of the steering wheel to earn money, Browne now gets paid to play a video game as one of the top players in the NBA 2K League, the NBA’s latest venture in the burgeoning field of eSports. 

The 25-year-old was drafted 3rd overall by Jazz Gaming – Utah Jazz’s NBA 2K League affiliate – and he is locked in for a $35,000 paycheck during the 6-month season along with medical insurance, housing costs and a retirement plan. 

“The reason why this is so great is because I’m earning the most money I’ve ever earned and I’m doing something that I love to do so it doesn’t even feel like work,” Browne told Rappler through a conference call facilitated by NBA Philippines. 

As Jazz Gaming’s starting point guard, Browne practices with his 5 other teammates from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., then he has the rest of the day to do what he wants. 

“It’s very different from me going out there, driving for hours and hours. This is easy for me and the fact that I get paid, even better.” 

It was actually NBA 2K that led Browne to trying out his luck as an Uber driver. Before, he was a security manager at the Mercy College in New York working an overnight shift from 12 a.m. to 8 a.m.

But when he found out the NBA 2K League would be be launched, he knew he had to find another job just so he can play with his friends in the evening. And  as it turned out, signing up as an Uber driver turned out to be the best option. 

After Uber helped tide him over, Browne now relishes his new job as a professional gamer. 

“Sometimes I would sleep in my car. I would do anything I need to do just to scrape up some more time to make extra money,” shared Browne. “So the fact that I don’t have to do any of those things anymore and I get to do what I love, I’m just blessed.” 

“Now, I sleep like a baby.”

(READ: Can Filipinos make it to the NBA? The 2K League just might be the route)

‘Yeah I Compete’

There is a reason Browne is the league’s 3rd overall pick among the 102 draftees. 

During the Draft Combine wherein 72,000 hopefuls battled against each other, Browne won 80 percent of his games and he posted averages of 24.2 points, 13.7 assists and 3.5 steals. 

His moniker “Yeah I Compete” says it all. Also, growing up watching the early-2000s Los Angeles Lakers led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal helped shape his oozing competitiveness. 

“I always considered myself one of the top guys every single year NBA 2K came out,” he said.

Although Browne, who has been playing the game since 2007, has joined the big league for NBA 2K competitors, he said he still plays the game at home “every single day trying to perfect my craft.” 

“Playing the game doesn’t feel like work.” 

‘Sky is the limit’

The NBA 2K League, which is based on the best-selling video game that has sold more than 60 million copies since its launch in 1999, is the first eSports league set up by a major professional US sports organization. 

It follows the NBA’s format with a regular season and playoffs and its draft was presided by NBA commissioner Adam Silver, just like how NBA rookies are drafted. 

Seventeen of the 30 NBA teams have their own squads in the inaugural season of the NBA 2K League and Browne sees the “league will be highly successful in no time.”

“I think the sky is the limit with this league. I think that the league has been very successful thus far, you have a lot of entertaining games and there’s only 17 NBA teams right now,” said Browne. 

“I honestly believe that within 3 to 4 years, like every NBA team will have an NBA 2K League team. And I feel like it’s going to be very popular because when you look at it, not everyone is given an opportunity in the NBA.”

Browne added the NBA 2K League is where many people can relate to, especially those who have been dreaming to make it into the NBA but were not gifted with the physical attributes to do so. 

“I wasn’t born to be 6’8. But everyone has an opportunity to be in the NBA 2K League because all you have to do is apply yourself, put the hours in, like anyone can become great at this game.” – Rappler.com

(NBA 2K League games can be streamed online on Twitch)