The Toronto Raptors are planning to be one of the first of 12 teams involved in the NBA 2K eLeague coming in 2018, according to a report from SportTechie. 

The report says the Canadian NBA franchise, owned by Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment, is exploring its options in esports and sees a dive into competitive play on the horizon.

“We are, like the rest of the marketplace, extraordinarily curious about the potential of eSports,” MLSE chief commercial officer Dave Hopkinson told SportTechie. “This one is a natural place for us to begin. We don’t have any other forays into esports, although we have a working group internally evaluating it. We will be proceeding here on day one. That is certainly going to be the recommendation of management. We’re going to have to go through with the process but that’s our goal to be on the ground floor.”

The intended 2K team will be underneath the Raptors 905 D-League team as far as corporate structure is concerned, Hopkinson confirmed.

The initial curiosity came from last year’s North American League Championship Series Summer Finals, where thousands of fans packed the Air Canada Centre - home of the Raptors - to watch Team SoloMid capture the League of Legends summer championship.

Hopkinson said the results of tickets sales and the stadium atmosphere made the phenomenon of esports undeniable.

“It sold out in seconds, literally in seconds. We sold out faster than when we sell out a rock concert here,” Hopkinson said. “I believe in this. … The reason why I’m so glad we had that championship here last August was it helped me turn other executives here into believers.”

With the eLeague still more than a year away, Hopkinson said there is no rush to get the ball rolling. For now, MLSE will continue to familiarize themselves with competitive video gaming and begin to get ready for 2018.

“I don’t think there’s a better way to learn than to do,” Hopkinson added, “and that’s one of the excitements about the 2K opportunity.”