Chiquita Evans is a pro now.
This week, she became the first woman gamer ever drafted into NBA 2K’s esports league. She went to Warriors Gaming — the esports team associated with the Golden State Warriors — in the fourth round.
Im so blessed and humbled to be apart of a great organization @WarriorsGaming can’t wait to meet everyone… have a great group of teammates @B_SM00VE_JAY @ommtype @Jinsanity_3 @KinaTTG @Gradient__ 💪🏾💪🏾
— Beyond Legendary Quita (@Quita) March 6, 2019
A former semi-pro basketball player, Evans was notified in January that she made the final round of the league’s tryout process and announced her next steps to fans on Twitter.
Today is a special day… I turned 25 today, 😂🤣 and I received that best birthday present ever 🤗😊💪🏾💯 thanks everyone who believed in me and supported my dreams I owe you guys everything… ⛹🏽♀️ I love you all #150Bound pic.twitter.com/Wp95DHSXoA
— Beyond Legendary Quita (@Quita) January 26, 2019
Women have historically been underrepresented in the gaming world. According to a 2018 Nielsen gaming report, 25 percent of esports fans are women, while Women in Games said that women make up 5 percent of all of the roles across the esports industry.
The NBA 2K League started in August 2018 and now has more than 20 teams in the league. First-round draft picks are expected to make $35,000 and other players have a base salary of $32,000. Players also receiving benefits and housing.
According to ESPN, a lack of gender diversity in the NBA 2K league was a big issue last year, that commissioner Adam Silver set out to fix calling it “a disappointment for us all so far.”
According to ESPN, Evans was one of two women who qualified for the draft. The other gamer, Brianna Novin, was not drafted, but could find a spot on a team in free agency.
Watch Evans’ big announcement below:
History in the making! 🙌 Excited to have you join WGS @chiquitae126! pic.twitter.com/HmKKD2AJex
— Warriors Gaming (@WarriorsGaming) March 6, 2019
