Wizard District Gaming’s 2024 Season Recap
August 22, 2024
As the 2024 NBA 2K League season has come to a close let’s look back at some of the many highlights from Wiz DG’s season.
WDG went into the 2024 season with the first overall draft pick and the fifth pick in the second round giving them room to round out the roster following trades made from the previous season.
Live from Full Sail University in Florida this year’s NBA 2K League Draft was full of star-studded talent. With the first overall pick in the draft there was no doubt who was going first,
Justin “Just Awkward” Howell represented WDG during the 2024 NBA All Star Weekend, where he competed in the first ever NBA 2K League Indy Showdown event, a 3v3 exhibition match with some NBA players and other NBA 2K League players. Just Awkward also attended the Skills Competition and got his rematch with Washington Wizards own Bilal Coulibaly.
The event concluded with WDG bringing home another trophy after beating Celtics Crossover Gaming 68-67 with a notable 25-point game from Brandon “B Rich” Richardson. Following the event, the Washington Wizard’s hosted “2K Night” which was also against the Boston Celtics. WDG was celebrated by taking the center court being recognized and participated in the t-shirt toss at the with the fans marking a night to remember for the squad.
May 8th marked the first day of 5v5 play with THE TIPOFF Powered by AT&T as well as the much-anticipated debut of Benjamin “Benzo” Bernstein. Although WDG couldn’t secure the win against Raptors Uprising GC, the highlight of the night was Benzo’s 30-point double-double with 16 assists, Benzo was doing it all!
Later in the week WDG had their first local game for the NBA 2K League’s 5v5 group play. WDG defeated Cavs Legion GC, 57-52, with another notable double-double performance from Benzo showing out for the hometown crowd.
WDG had a streak of wins catapulting them to the top of group EAST A, thanks to astounding performances from the whole team, WDG was fired up for their first match of the season on the NBA 2K Leagues Stage against Heat Check Gaming.
With the much-anticipated matchup of our #1 Pick Benzo, and the NBA 2K League’s leading scorer, HoodieKy. This was a heated matchup that resulted in a clean sweep with WDG winning 2-0. Benzo averaged 21 PPG, 13.5 APG, 2.5 SPG making him the obvious front runner for the Rookie of the Year award.
WDG veterans B Rich and Antonio “Newdini” Newman went on WUSA 9’s Good Morning Washington to talk about the NBA 2K League and their involvement at MET FEST – which was an event that aimed to increase the youth’s participation in Esports, and STEM Education guiding the next generation of developers in the Esports industry.
The next split of our season was THE TURN Powered by AT&T. WDG played Hornets Venom GT live at District E. WDG dominated winning 103-85, marking another crazy performance from Benzo – 40 Points, 23 Assists, and 2 Steals, Benzo was unstoppable.
The WDG offense started to catch fire after winning three games with a combined point differential of 100 points (103-85, 104-44, 103-81) clinching them a spot in the 2024 5v5 Playoffs, giving them the opportunity to continue to show out in front of a home crowd live at District E.
After an unfortunate loss to Cavs Legion GC in the playoffs WDG left it all on the stage. Although the team didn’t advance, Benzo was awarded the NBA 2K League ROTY award. It’s been fantastic to be able to host the NBA 2K League in DC for the past two seasons and we can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2025. Thank you to our amazing community for the continued support!