Pistons GT ‘Ramo’ Selected to Inaugural USA Basketball E-National Team

Ramo ‘Ramo’ Radoncic Chosen for Seven-Member Team to Compete Virtually in the 2020 FIBA Esports Open II

DETROIT, Nov. 10, 2020 ­– Following two days of trials featuring some of the top 2K gamers in the nation, Pistons GT Ramo ‘Ramo’ Radoncic earned a spot on the inaugural 2020 USA Basketball E-National Team. Radoncic was one of seven players selected to the team which will compete virtually in the North and Central America Conference in the 2020 FIBA Esports Open II from Dec. 19-20.

Radoncic and Team USA will tip-off virtually in the FIBA Esports Open II against gaming teams from Canada, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras and Puerto Rico for the right to be crowned North and Central America Conference champions.

Radoncic returns for his third season with Pistons GT in 2021 after he was retained by the club this offseason. He was originally selected by Pistons GT with the fifth overall pick in the 2018 NBA 2K League Draft – the first draft pick in Pistons GT history. Radoncic was an MVP candidate in 2018 and led the team to a playoff berth in its league debut.

Following one season with Pacers Gaming in 2019, Radoncic returned to Detroit and led Pistons GT in scoring (17.9 ppg), rebounding (6.8 rpg), passing (5.3 apg) and blocks (1.0 bpg) through 35 regular-season games during the 2020 campaign. The Brooklyn, N.Y. native tallied a career-high 45 points twice and finished with a team-high 21 double-doubles, including 17 consecutive such games from June 18 to July 22. He added a team-high three triple-doubles throughout the year.

“Ramo has continually proven that he is one of the best players in the NBA 2K League,” said Adam Rubin, General Manager of Pistons GT. “We are extremely happy for Ramo and his selection to the USA Basketball E-National Team further solidifies his place as one of the most talented 2K players in the world.”

Along with Radoncic, the USA E-National Team includes: ALittleLady87 (Wendi Fleming/BallHerAlert); Crush (Rafel Davis/Kings Guard Gaming); JBM (John Mascone/Wizards District Gaming); Kenny Got Work (Kenneth Hailey/Raptors Uprising GC); OriginalMalik (Malik Hobson/Knicks Gaming); and Ria (Spencer Wyman/Jazz Gaming). Additionally, Arooks (Aaron Rookwood/Bucks Gaming); FEAST (Mihad Feratovic/T-Wolves Gaming); and icygrl (Brianna Novin/BallHerAlert) were named as USA E-National Team alternates.

Team selections were made by the USA Basketball E-National Team Selection Panel, which is comprised of NBA 2K League community ambassador Graham Borden; Wizards District Gaming team manager Patrick Crossan;  Jazz Gaming coach Jelani Mitchell; WNBA Washington Mystics forward and 2015 World University Games gold medalist Aerial Powers; and USA Basketball Youth & Sport Development assistant director Andrea Travelstead.

While this will be USA Basketball’s 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 conferences.

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 FIBA’s YouTube, Twitch and Facebook channels.

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.

 

About Pistons GT

Pistons GT is entering its fourth season in the NBA 2K League and is one of 23 franchises participating in the league in 2021. Pistons GT made one postseason appearance in 2018 and is headed by 2018 NBA 2K League Coach of the Year Duane Burton and General Manager Adam Rubin. The NBA 2K League is the first official esports league operated by a U.S. professional sports league.

 

About USA Basketball

Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and chaired by retired Gen. Martin Dempsey, USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the U.S. by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA national teams that compete in FIBA-sponsored five-on-five, 3×3 and esports international competitions, as well as for some national competitions and for the development of youth basketball. USA Basketball currently ranks No. 1 in all five of FIBA’s world-ranking categories, including combined, men’s, women’s, boys and girls.