The Milwaukee Bucks are paying six video gamers to play an NBA video game.
These men are the best of the best in the nation. They'll play against 16 other teams in the basketball video game NBA 2K.
The men were chosen from an initial group of 72,000 players. That group shrunk down to 250 gamers, who eventually shrunk again to 102 of the best. Then NBA teams, like the Bucks, chose their top six in a draft.
First-round pick Aaron Rookwood is from New York. The team pays him a $35,000 salary. His teammates respectively make around $32,000 salary.
Rookwood and his teammates live in a luxury apartment and receive health benefits, and they are fully employed athlete gamers for the next six months. Together they'll work towards the tournament's grand prize: $100,000.
With any video game, for example Fortnite or Overwatch, gamers have the potential to become a video game superstar. One professional gamer has earned more than $2 million.
But the gaming lifestyle isn't easy. Avid gamer Jeffery Wright has friends who've won tournament monies and played at the professional level. But, he says it's brutal.
"You're one in a million and you're easily replaceable. Like most game tournaments are team-based, so honestly if you're not holding up, they'll get rid of you."
Bucks Gamers will start the NBA 2K Tournament, Tuesday May 1. Bucks administrators say supporters can watch the league turnout on twitch.tv.
