Celtics Crossover GamingCLTX

2019 Media Guide

Table of Contents

2

About Celtics Crossover Gaming 3

Court And Uniforms 4

Management and Staff 5

Roster 6

Season Schedule 8

Game Photos 9

Websites and Social Media 10

Appendix 11

Press Clippings 12

Archetypes 13

League Rules 16

Celtics Crossover Gaming (also known as CLTX Gaming) is a professional esports team

that has been part of the National Basketball Association’s 2K League since its

inauguration in 2018. In the first ever NBA 2K League draft, CLTX Gaming used the 2nd

overall pick to make St. Louis native Albano Thomallari (oFAB) the second player ever to

be drafted in the NBA 2K League. Much like it’s parent team, The Boston Celtics, CLTX

Gaming values diversity, using the next five picks to draft players from all over the United

States and Canada who became the first six players in Celtics Crossover Gaming history.

Prior to the launch of the NBA 2K League, CLTX Gaming’s first players came from a

variety of backgrounds. Many were college students, former traditional basketball

players, or part of Pro-Am 2K teams before getting the opportunity to play in the new

esport league. With the help of former Pro-Am 2K analyst and current CLTX Gaming

performance coach Ricco Phinisee. For more information on CLTX, log on to

celticscrossover.nba.com.

About Celtics crossover gaming (CLTX Gaming)

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4

Court and Uniforms

Above: Official Celtics Crossover Gaming home court

Below: Official Celtics Crossover Gaming uniforms, home (left) and away (right)

Management and Staff

Michael WanTeam Operations Manager

Michael Wan works as the Operations Manager for CLTX Gaming. Now in his second year with CLTX, Wan spent the two years prior working as a part of the Celtics Business Operations group as an analyst. In his current role with CLTX Gaming, Wan’s responsibilities include coordinating team needs related to competition, travel, and outfitting.

Jim FerrisTeam Managing Director

Jim Ferris works for the Celtics as their Managing Director of CLTX Gaming. Ferris has over two decades of experience in sports and interactive entertainment. Prior to the Celtics, Ferris spent more than 13 years at Electronic Arts in roles ranging from Marketing Director to Producer and focused on competitive gaming franchises that included NFL Street, NASCAR, Battlefield and Need for Speed. Before joining EA, Ferris worked in Product Management at Hasbro Interactive leading their marketing efforts in Racing.

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Ricco PhiniseePerformance Coach

Ricco Phinisee spent his youth in Oklahoma City playing football. Ultimately, his passions turned to NBA 2K where he applied his love of competition to the thriving community developing around Pro-Am. Although he started as a player, Phinisee quickly became recognized and respected for his ability to analyze the game and team performances. When the NBA 2K League was announced, CLTX Gaming knew Phinisee was the best person to help evaluate talent entering into the draft pool. Through our work together on finding the best possible players to fit with our CLTX brand values, it also became clear that Phinisee was the best fit to coach our players and get the most out of their potential.

ROSTER

oFAB | PG, #4Full Name: Albano ThomallariDraft Position: Round 1, Pick 2, #2 Overall Birthdate: September 15, 1996 Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri Personal: Albano Thomallari is a second-generation

American born to immigrant parents originally from Albania. An MVP candidate last year, Thomallari is looking to reinforce himself as one of the most dominant players in the league in Season 2. Since joining the league last year Thomallari has continued to better himself off the court as well as on the court and has lost over 50lbs in the past year. When he is not playing NBA 2K, Thomallari enjoys playing Overwatch and watching “House of Cards.” His favorite NBA player is Boston Celtics point guard Kyrie Irving.

Mel East | SF, #38Full Name: Ahmed KasanaDraft Position: Round 3, Pick 2, #36 Overall Birthdate: May 7, 1997 Hometown: Staten Island, New York Personal: Ahmed Kasana is a former high school player who turned his focus to esports after tearing his ACL. Kasana has been competing alongside oFab since 2011 and has also

developed a strong relationship with Profusion last season with CLTX Gaming. Upon being drafted, Kasana stressed the importance of being a positive influence and making an impact on the Boston community. In his free time he enjoys playing Fortnite and watching “Arrow.” His favorite NBA player is Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard.

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Profusion | SG, #40Full Name: Alexander Snowden Draft Position: Round 4, Pick 16, #67 Overall Birthdate: April 13, 1998 Hometown: Bellevue, Washington Personal: Alexander “Alex” Snowden is a former high school varsity basketball player who’s position in NBA 2K — shooting guard — is the same position he played in high school. Prior to joining CLTX, he studied sports management at his university. In his downtime, he enjoys bowling with friends, playing Fortnite, and watching “Prison Break.” His favorite NBA player is Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry.

Bulleyy | SG, #5Full Name: Tamer MustafaDraft Position: Round 1, Pick 8, #8 Overall Birthdate: October 25, 1995 Hometown: Chicago, Illinois Personal: Tamer Mustafa is a Chicago native who has played with other CLTX Gaming members oFab & NOxAUTOGRAPHSxfor nearly half his life. Sometime viewed as a quieter player, Mustafa is the type of impact player that makes his presence felt through his versatility. With the ability to impact the game on both offense and defense, across multiple positions, “Bulls” is the type of plug-and-play player necessary to build a title contending roster.

NOxAUTOGRAPHSx | C, #43Full Name: Terry JacksonDraft Position: Round 2, Pick 28, #28 OverallBirthdate: May 11, 1993Hometown: Chicago, Illinois Personal: Terry Jackson had played with the majority of the CLTX Gaming roster before he even became a Celtic. The self-proclaimed “old-head” of the group, Jackson will do whatever it takes for the team to win. From his vocal leadership, to his dominant big-man play, “Auto” is a force to be reckoned with, having already made his presence felt in the early days of the season.

Suavy | SF, #95Full Name: Rainny RodriguezDraft Position: Round 4, Pick 2, #62 OverallBirthdate: September 7, 1996Hometown: Brooklyn, New YorkPersonal: Rainny Rodriguez is a trained actor out of Brooklyn, New York. Rodriguez likes to refer to himself as the Marcus Smart of CLTX Gaming. Despite being a New York native, Rodriguez has been a fan of Boston sports teams his whole life. Prior to being at CLTX Gaming, Rodriguez worked as a part-time actor and store support in a retail store while being a full-time student at Brooklyn College.

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ROSTER (Cont.)

THE TIPOFF April 2nd – April 6th

THE TURN May 9th – May 11th

THE TICKET June 13th – June 15th

PLAYOFFS July 24th – July 26th

2019 Season Schedule

2019 season timeline

17 TOTAL WEEKS OF COMPETITION3 MARQUEE TOURNAMENTS

12 WEEKS OF REGULAR SEASON2 WEEKS OF POST SEASON

APRIL MAY JUNE JULY

ROUND 1-4 ROUND 5-8 ROUND 9-12

“THE TIPOFF”TOURNAMENT

“THE TURN”

TOURNAMENT

“THE TICKET”TOURNAMENT

PLAYOFFTOURNAMENT

WEEK DATE OPPONENT

1 April 10, 2019 Hawks Talon GC

2 April 17-19, 2019 Bye Week

3 April 25, 2019 @ 76ers GC

April 26, 2019 @ Kings Guard Gaming

4 May 1, 2019 T-Wolves Gaming

May 2, 2019 @ Nets GC

5 May 15-17, 2019 Bye Week

6 May 22, 2019 @ Blazer5 Gaming

May 23, 2019 Heat Check Gaming

7 May 29, 2019 @ Wizards District Gaming

May 30, 2019 Knicks Gaming

8 June 5-7, 2019 Bye Week

9 June 19, 2019 Warriors Gaming Squad

June 20, 2019 Mavs Gaming

10 June 27, 2019 Raptors Uprising GC

June 28, 2019 Cavs Legion GC

11 July 11, 2019 @ Lakers Gaming

July 12, 2019 @ Magic Gaming

12 July 18, 2019 @ Pacers Gaming

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Tournament Games

Regular Season Games

Game Photos

9

Above: Game photos taken throughout the season at the NBA 2K League Studio Powered by

Intel in New York City.

Websites and Social Media

For more information, please visit the following websites and social media pages:

NBA 2K LeagueNBA2KLeague.com

@NBA2KLeague

@nba2kleague

twitch.tv/nba2kleague

Celtics Crossover Gamingcelticscrossover.nba.com

@CLTXGaming

@cltxgaming

twitch.tv/cltxgaming

For any additional questions please reach out to Christian Megliola at

cmegliola@celtics.com

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Appendix

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Appendix A: Press Clippings 14

Appendix B: Archetypes 15

Appendix C: League Rules 18

Appendix A: Press Clippings

Team FeaturesArticle: AdweekA.J. Katz, March 7, 2018 — The Boston Celtics Are Using Esports to Keep Fans Engaged, and Attract New Ones

Article: Boston Business JournalKelly J. O’Brien, March 29, 2018 — They got game: Boston’s sports teams move into the e-sports arena

Article: The Post Game

Jeff Eisenband, March 30, 2018 — CLTX Gaming Will Draft Team Embodying The 'Celtics Way'

Article: Boston HeraldJordan Graham, May 21, 2018 — Boston Celtics field NBA 2K team on virtual parquet floor

Article: MassLiveTom Westerholm, June 13, 2018 — Boston Celtics' NBA 2K League team, with advice from Brad Stevens, navigates a new league

Article: Boston.comNicole Yang, June 13, 2018 — Brad Stevens spent his Monday motivating a different group of Celtics

Article: WGBHEsteban Bustillos, June 14, 2018 — Celtics Get Into the World of E-Sports

Tweet: Celtics on NBC Sports Boston (@NBCSCeltics)June 15, 2018 — Video: “Earlier this week @Max_Lederman caught up with @CLTXGaming”

Tweet: The Camera Guys (@NBCSCameraGuy) April 2, 2019 –- Video: "As the #Celtics make their playoff push, @CLTXGaming is about to start its season.“

Article: MassLiveTom Westerholm, April 4, 2019 --- Boston Celtics’ NBA 2K team CLTX Gaming enters league’s second season with renewed chemistry

Player FeaturesArticle: MassLive

Tom Westerholm, April 7, 2018 — Boston Celtics' NBA 2K League team headlined by No. 2

pick, whose parents told him he 'better get a job'

Article: Boston Herald

Jordan Graham, May 21, 2018 — Immigrant parents showing Celtics pride for NBA 2K pro

gamer

Article: NBA2KLeague.com

Johnathan Raber, June 21, 2018 — More Than A Game: How Celtics Crossover Gaming

Star oFAB Used NBA 2K To Change His Life For The Better

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Appendix B: ARCHETYPES

Small Forward

Power FORWARD

13

Build Type Strengths Weaknesses

Rebounding Athletic Finisher Rebounding, dunking Mid-range shot,

finishing layups

Sharpshooting Rim Protector Overall shooting, shot

blocking

Average overall

defense, rebounding

Slashing Post Scorer Post-offense, shots in

the paint, mid-range

shot

Rebounding

Slashing Rim Protector Shot Blocking,

athletic build

Shooting

Two-Way Rebounder Rebounding, overall

defense, athletic

build

Shooting

Build Type Strengths Weaknesses

Sharpshooting Slasher Balanced

combination of

dunking, athletic

build, and open shots

Average across all

categories, no

standout

characteristicsPure Sharpshooter Great at sniping Fairly slow moving

Shot-Creating Slasher Rebounding, Mid-

range shot, athletic

build

Passing, three-point

shot

Slashing Defender Defense, athletic

build

Shooting

Sharpshooting Shot Creator Three-point shot,

open shots

Ball control, slow

moving

In the 2K League, players cannot use real NBA players as their avatars in the game.

Instead, players must create their own avatars and choose from a preset list of 25

archetypes before each game to ensure that no player has an unfair advantage. Each

position — small forward, power forward, center, shooting guard, and point guard — has

five archetypes with each one coming with its own set of strengths and weaknesses.

Center

Shooting Guard

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Build Type Strengths Weaknesses

Pure Rim Protector Defending the dunk,

defending in the

paint, agility, strength

Three-point shot,

shooting off dribble,

playmaking

Slashing Stretch Five Close-range shots,

spreading the court

Rebounding,

defending

Post-Scoring Athletic Finisher Athletic build,

defending in the

paint, rebounding

Shooting

Rebounding Post Scorer Post-offense,

rebounding, overall

strength

Slow moving,

shooting, defending

Slashing Rebounder Rebounding, ball

handling, passing,

defense

Three-point shot, post

scoring, mid-range

shot

Build Type Strengths Weaknesses

Pure Sharpshooter Best shooter of any

build and position in

the game

Lacks in all other

aspects of the game

Playmaking Slasher Dunking, playmaking,

speed

Overall shooting

Sharpshooting Defender Defense Average at shooting

Slashing Shot Creator Mid-range shot,

driving the ball

Average playmaker

Sharpshooting Shot Creator Open shots, three-

point shots

Ball control, slow

moving

15

Build Type Strengths Weaknesses

Playmaking Shot Creator Best mid-range shot

in the game, able to

drive to the hoop

Passing, three-point

shots

Sharpshooting Playmaker Passing, three-point

shot, overall speed

Has trouble finishing

Slashing Playmaker Fastest build in the

game, defending,

passing

Overall shooting

Shot-Creating Sharpshooter Three-point shot,

open shots

Slowest player in the

game, ball control

Shot-Creating Slasher Stamina, speed,

driving, finishing

Three-point shot, post

offense

Point Guard

Archetypes: Pictured above are the starting five’s in-game avatars before tipoff of the

opening game against Pistons GT at the Tipoff Tournament. Before each game, teams

will decide on their starters’ archetypes and adjust their game plan based on the

opponents they are playing. Though an individual player may be strongest at a certain

position or archetype, teams have the flexibility to switch players around when

necessary.

***

Competition StructureEach NBA 2K League team will play 14 regular season games over 12 weeks. These

games are head-to-head matchups that are best of one game. Each team will have

seven home games and seven away games throughout the regular season, excluding

the tournaments.

There are three tournaments during the season: THE TIPOFF, THE TURN, and THE TICKET. THE

TIPOFF is the first tournament and takes place before the regular season games begin.

After four weeks of the regular season, THE TURN begins. The final tournament of the

season, THE TICKET, is played after Week 8 of the regular season.

In every tournament, teams play for prize money and a championship banner, with the

prize pool being $100,000 for the first two tournaments and $150,000 for the final

tournament. In addition to prize money and the banner, the team that wins THE TICKET

will be guaranteed a spot in the NBA 2K League playoffs.

The playoffs will include the winner of THE TICKET and the top seven teams with the

highest regular season win-loss records in the league, excluding tournament wins. The

playoff prize pool will be $600,000 with the NBA 2K League Champion receiving $300,000.

The teams in the first round of the playoffs will play one head-to-head matchup before

elimination. The semifinal and final rounds of the tournament will play best-of-three

games per matchup.

Roster Before every NBA 2K League game, each team must select five players from their team

roster to be on the “Active Roster.” These rosters must be submitted no later than six hours

prior to the start of each game. If a team plays more than one game in a day, their

“Active Roster” must be set no later than an hour before the additional games.

The sixth man: The sixth player is readily available at all times and can be subbed in for

any of the starting five at any position. Positions are not fixed and lineups can change

game to game. Substitutions cannot occur during gameplay but must be made before

the game starts. These decisions are at the discretion of the team and team

management.

Other Important Roster Rules:

• Two players on the same team cannot play the same position during a game

• Players can switch between positions on a game-by-game basis

• Players cannot be substituted in-game; players may be substituted between

games

• No positions can changed once the “Active Roster” is submitted, but

archetypes can still be changed prior to the start of the game

• Every team has at least 4 sharp builds on the court at once. Teams may play

with 5 sharps on the court at once.

Appendix C: LEAGUE RULES

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Game ProcedureArchetypes: Players must choose one of 25 archetypes for each game and will be

unable to select the same position as a teammate.

Team Timeouts: Each team will be allowed to use five timeouts throughout the game,

and each timeout will last for 60 seconds. During an overtime period, each team will be

awarded one additional timeout. If any team has more than four remaining timeouts at

the start of the 4th quarter, their number of timeouts drops to four. Teams are only able to

call two timeouts in the final three minutes of each half.

Coaches: Coaches will be allowed on the competition floor with their players. They may

not stand next to the gaming chairs, but are permitted to pace behind them. Coaches

are allowed to communicate with players by headset during timeouts and halftime only.

Headsets will be placed next to the stage and may only be picked up for calling

timeouts.

Game SettingsGame settings are to be as follows:

• Length of quarters: 6 minutes

• Number of timeouts per team: 5 timeouts

• Length of timeout: 1 minute

• Length of halftime: 5 minutes

• Difficulty Setting: Hall of Fame

For more information, visit 2kleague.nba.com/league-info.

LEAGUE RULES (CONT.)

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