WNBA Players Will Be Included In NBA 2K20 For The 1st Time

WNBA Players Will Be Included In NBA 2K20 For The 1st Time

While NBA 2K takes the throne as one of the most popular NBA video games, for the first time, 2K will feature all 12 WNBA teams and full rosters. In a video, the game announced the addition in a trailer featuring Candace Parker and Breanna Stewart, going through the motion capture process. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert touches on the historic moment saying,

“We are excited to have WNBA players as part of this top selling video game, helping to bring more exposure to these elite players, expanding our fan base and providing an immersive gaming experience featuring women role model athletes.”

https://twitter.com/nba2k/status/1159479807039508481?s=21

All game modes featuring the WNBA will be available to play next month when NBA 2K20 is set to released on Sept. 6. Players can play a full season with their favorite WNBA team, according to the league. Jeff Thomas, SVP of Development, Visual Concepts says,

“For years, fans have requested the ability to play as some of their favorite WNBA stars. We’ve been working with the WNBA and their top players to recreate a hyper-realistic version of their league with pinpoint accuracy. We’re excited to roll out this new feature in NBA 2K20 because we know how important the WNBA is to the world of basketball.”

In addition to their 2K inclusion, the WNBA and CBS announced earlier this year their agreement on a multiyear partnership in which CBS Sports that will televise 40 of the league’s regular season games per season.

Now, with the inclusion of the WNBA, the NBA finds a way to equal the playing field between the two leagues. According to Fobers, the gender difference hits the players pockets the most,

“The WNBA players are not being treated the same as their counterparts in the NBA. The NBA pays its players about 50% of league revenue. It appears, when we look at what we know about WNBA revenue and salaries, that the league’s players are receiving less than 25% of the revenue. And that percentage appears to be shrinking over time.“

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