The NBA 2K League and National Basketball League (NBL) have announced an agreement to launch expansion team, NBL Oz Gaming, who will represent Australia.

The expansion means the league will now have 25 teams in total, with 22 being affiliated to NBA franchises.

Additionally, NBL Oz Gaming will be the third international team, joining Gen.G Tigers from Shanghai and DUX Infinitos from Mexico City.

The new expansion team will also be the first Australian organisation to join a global esports competition and will be based in the US for the 2023 season.

Commenting on the expansion NBA 2K League president, Brendan Donohue, said: “This is another historic day as we welcome Australia’s premier basketball league to the NBA 2K League family.”

“The NBL has a demonstrated track record of not only transforming their league, but also growing a fanbase in new and creative ways.

“The NBL is the ideal partner to help the NBA 2K League do the same in Australia, where basketball and 2K are incredibly popular and we’re thrilled that NBL Oz Gaming will represent Australia in the NBA 2K League for years to come,” he said.

NBL commissioner, Jeremy Loeliger, added: “We have been intrigued by the esports sector now for some time, largely because there is a significant crossover between gaming fans and basketball fans – more so than any other sport.”

“We always want to partner with the best, and one of the best professional esports leagues in the world is operated by our long-standing friends and partners at the NBA.

The global popularity of NBA 2K and the NBA 2K League continue to grow every year, and neither is showing any signs of slowing down.

Our hopes and expectations are that NBL Oz Gaming will introduce the NBL to a legion of new fans around the world.

But first, we have to turn our attention to building a strong and competitive roster and showing once again that the NBL can take on the best in the world.  This time, it just happens to be a slightly different game!” he said.

The announcement comes after the 2K League announced a multi-year partnership with Sony.