Pistons GT Selects Andrew Valle and Robert May In First Round of 2019 NBA 2K League Draft
March 6, 2019
Four Players Selected To Complete Six-Player Roster For Pistons Gaming Team
DETROIT, Mich. – The Pistons Gaming Team (Pistons GT) announced the club’s draft selections that were taken tonight during the 2019 NBA 2K League Draft. Pistons GT selected Andrew “Stylez” Valle with the fourth overall pick and Robert “May” May with the 16th pick in the first round. The club also picked Jack “Jaacko” Stevenson (No. 58), the first NBA 2K League player ever drafted from the APAC Invitational qualifier in Hong Kong, and Rochell “Splashking” Woods (No. 70), who played for Pistons GT last season, to complete the six-person roster.
Along with the four new players drafted, the roster is rounded out with two players returning from the 2018 squad in Joseph “Joseph” Marrero and Kristopher “iiNsaniTTy” Dellarciprete. Pistons GT had two draft picks in the first round after making a deal with Pacers Gaming this offseason for the fourth overall pick, along with their originally slotted 16th overall pick.
The players in tonight’s draft were selected from a pool of 198 draft-eligible players, consisting of 144 new players who were selected by the league following an extensive tryout process, six players from the league’s first-ever APAC Invitational that took place in Hong Kong in early February and 48 unretained players from the inaugural season. There are 126 drafted players on the 21 teams that are now set to take part in the 2019 NBA 2K League season.
A list of players selected and their positions and home states/countries are listed below:
Pistons Gaming Team 2019 Draft Selections
| Draft Round/Selection | Position | Name | Gamer Tag | State/Country |
| 1/No. 4 overall | Point Guard | Andrew Valle | Stylez | New York |
| 1/No. 16 overall | Power Forward | Robert May | May | Massachusetts |
| 3/No. 58 overall | Point Guard | Jack Stevenson | Jaacko | New Zealand |
| 4/No. 70 overall | Power Forward | Rochell Woods | Splashking | Tennessee |
Pistons Gaming Team Roster
| Draft Year/Round/Selection | Position | Name | Gamer Tag | State |
| 2018/2/No. 30 overall | Small Forward | Kristopher Dellarciprete | iiNsaniTTy | Pennsylvania |
| 2018/6/No. 98 overall | Center | Joseph Marrero | Joseph | New York |
Pistons GT finished the inaugural season of NBA 2K League with the third-best record, 9-5, to clinch its first-ever playoff berth and is one of 21 franchises participating in the league in 2019. The club 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. According to Newzoo, the esports industry is expected to grow to more than $900 million in revenue this year and $1.4 billion by 2020, while the audience for esports is expected to reach 557 million by 2021, including 250 million dedicated enthusiasts and 307 million occasional viewers.