Warriors Gaming Squad receives championship rings at Chase Center
THEY PROMISED YOU THEY WOULD GET IT DONE, DUB NATION! NOW LET'S GO BACK TO BACK!
I’ve been following Golden State Warriors basketball since I was a baby, and now I’ve watched Golden State’s baby in the eSports world grow all the way up. That’s right folks, Warriors Gaming Squad, the Dubs’ official NBA 2K League basketball team, has won their first championship.
Oh yeah and they got the rings to prove it. WITH THEIR FACES ON IT! And people told me playing video games wasn’t good for the youth!
This journey has been 6 years in the making, and I’ve been blessed to cover this team throughout the whole journey. That’s why it was truly a pleasure to chat with Charles “CB13” Bostwick, Jeremy “Seese” Seese, and Jaden “Nay” Bhopal to discuss what it took to get this franchise outta the mud and onto the throne
All right, champ! CB, I talked to you about six years ago. I saw you in the Jack London practice facility. The Esports thing had just launched and Warriors Gaming Squad was brand new. You were the top draft pick, a guy that was supposed to lead the team to the promised land.
I remember at the time you were very, very serious about the dedication and the time you were going to put in to get over the hump, right? Years went by, we had a couple more interviews, a NBA 2K Finals trip. What does it feel to finally get over the hump and get that championship? What did it take to get there from the time you were a rookie until now?
CB: Yeah, it took a lot, honestly. The first time that we met, obviously I had no idea of what my career was going to look like. I was a rookie, barely played maybe one or two games at that point. And so it's gone full circle now; I've played almost 300 professional games. And what I've learned most of the time is that you can't really cheat the process.
I think the difference between this team and some of the past teams, even including my own habits, it's just building those habits every day. Whether that's practice, film, the way you communicate with your teammates, or going out and doing stuff outside of the game. Really character building and team building.
I think it took a lot of like trial and error in that aspect. And the talent with this team too is just on a different level than any team. Not only that I've played on, but that the league has ever seen on any of the 25, 26 teams. So, I think that was another really good component of it. Obviously the talent was there and we got the job done finally.
One of the big questions that happened as the big trades were getting made was how you were able to fit in with all these superstar pieces around you. In terms of the cohesion and the chemistry, was there anything that surprised you about how easy it was to play with these guys?
CB: Mama There Goes Dat Man and Kenny Got Work were superstar players in their own right on their own team. They were the key guys on their team, right? So before getting all these guys I'm kind of the guy on the team. Getting them here, I didn't really know how it was gonna go, you know?
But we all just bought into each other’s games. You'll see Seese have 20 points out of the corner. Kenny will have 20 points out of the corner. Things like that are a little unorthodox.
With other 2K teams, most likely it’s the point guard or center scoring all the points. So I think that's kind of what made the transition so easy for us, and that's why we went 22-5 and as they said, we barely lost. The biggest loss we ever had was by eight points.
We have such a relentless attack on offense and then our defense is the best in the league every year. So it's just been that easy this year. It's kind of a seamless fit with all the guys.
Okay, last question. Are yall gonna do it again?
CB: Yeah. I think even practicing with these guys a little bit in the off season against some other 2K league teams you kind of really understand the position you're set up in. You know like when you're playing real life basketball you can kind of tell when you have the upper hand? When we load up versus a lot of these teams, it's just like, wow, we're really doing it again with the same group. Like, we're far and away better than a lot of the teams we've been loading up against, and I think we're definitely going to go back to back, like, without a shadow of a doubt.
Seese, you promised me that we were going to win a championship. You told Dub Nation, that y’all were going to bring it home. You came from another team that had won. And you came here and won again. Are you the missing link? Are you the lucky charm?
Seese: I feel like I'm a big piece to any team I go to because how much I communicate and put trust in my team and myself on defense and even offense. I just feel like I just am a good voice for a defense and just want to keep promoting just good vibes and just how we play.
So I'm happy that I was able to do it here and have a big role here on defense and also have a small role in offense because my team is so talented that. It doesn't really matter what role I have some games, but I'm happy that with the role I have and the impact I had on this team to win a championship for sure.
And speaking of your defensive voice, was that something that you came with naturally to the team, or did you have to find your way and kind of fit in?
Seese: I feel like last year on the Bucks I had my voice, like it was established because I was there the whole season. But coming into this season, I got traded mid season, so it was kind of different to try and find my role.
I like to be vocal on any team I'm on, but, just communicating on certain stuff it was kind of something to figure out for sure, and just how my lock Kenny talks to me, so, we kind of had to develop that relationship to be able to openly communicate to each other, and I'm glad we found that spot to communicate with each other.
I just want to keep getting better whether it's just on the court or off the court. I feel like anyone can improve as a person or in the game in any aspect. So, I'm going to try and unlock more certain things in the game that people don't really know about. Or just kind of evolve the game as much as I can on the game and off the game.
Number one defense in the league. What's it like to be in that defensive zone where you know you're getting three or four stops in a row?
Seese: It feels good. I like the lead pressure from my offense. I just like to be able to help out my offense as much as I help out the defense. So, I'm really happy that we were really able to get stops.
And not just me, but everyone one through five was able to help contribute on defense in some way in every single series. So I'm happy the playoff series went as it went. And we were just able all to contribute on both sides of the ball equally.
What feels better? Big time help side block or jumping the passing lane for a steal?
Jumping the passing lane for sure. I feel like when you jump a passing lane in 2k, it's like dang… he really got that. It's like kind of unexpected with a lot of stuff, so I would go with that for sure .
Alright man, last question. Last year you promised Dub Nation we'd get it done. Are we going to do it again?
Seese: I'm promising Dub Nation we're going to get it done again and go back to back for sure. Back to back.
Hey Nay, what was it like joining a team that already has so many pieces in place but had never quite got over the hump. How did you see your role with this team and how did it unfold?
Nay: Yeah. So to be honest, I joined the team with four vets. I'm a rookie in my first year. They all have like four or five, six years under their belt. So for me, it was like a learning curve, my first two, three months.
And once we got settled, I was like, I took what they taught me, applied to the team and we just gelled. And kudos to them though, because everything they taught me, it just made me like whatever I had, whatever I brought, it made me 10 times better.
So when you were looking to join the Esports League, the 2K League, to being a champion now, what did you not see coming from being a pro gamer?
Nay: Well the cliche thing, the money you can make, that's definitely number one. Two, just the experiences, like being able to live in a different city. Like, I'm from Canada, so, like I'm in the U. S. now. San Francisco is beautiful, last year we were in D. C. So just the experience you have going out with your teammates, living in different cities, living on your own, like, and yeah, the money and the fun of the game.
Last question big dog: Are you going back to back?
Nay: Of course! 100 percent with this five. Yeah, 100 percent.
For more information on Warriors Gaming Squad, check out their social media @WarriorsGaming and visit their website at WarriorsGamingSquad.com. For more info on the 2K League, head over to NBA2KLeague.com.