They call themselves the NetsGC – short for Nets Gaming Crew.

They play basketball – but not on a court. They do it sitting in chairs, holding video game controllers. 

They are anything but slackers.  

"These gamers are athletes. These guys train. They work hard. They have practice schedules," says Josh Pruss, a senior vice president for BSE Global, the parent company of the Brooklyn Nets.

This is the face of the NBA's latest expansion – NBA 2K, a fledgling e-sports league with 21 teams of professional gamers.

The NBA launched NBA 2K last year with the company Take Two Interactive, becoming the first major U.S. professional sports league with an e-sports league of its own – an effort to draw new fans and cash in on the exploding e-sports phenomenon. 

Seventeen of the NBA's 30 franchises fielded teams e-teams in the first year. Four more were added this season, including NetsGC.

The Knicks have had little success on the actual basketball court in recent years, but not so on the virtual court. Their e-team, Knicks Gaming, won the first NBA 2K championship.

"It was pretty cool. I was able to get finals MVP. It was a successful season to say the least," says gamer Nate Kahl said, a member of Knicks Gaming last year. 

The league has a 12-week regular season and six weeks of playoffs, and each team has six players. After the season, teams can retain only two players, creating a large pool of gamers for NBA 2K’s annual draft, which took place this year at Barclays Center. After last season, Knicks Gaming did not retain Kahl; NetsGC drafted him for this season.

Players from around the world who compete in qualifying rounds are chosen by the general manager and coach of each e-team.

"Social media is heavy in the gaming community. So we use that as a great scouting tool," says NetsGC General Manager/Coach Ivan Curtiss. 

Each player receives free housing and a salary of about $35,000. E-games are played in front of a live audience in a new studio, built by the NBA in a former Long Island City warehouse. Out-of-town teams fly in to compete.

"They get a chance to experience New York, be a part of the NBA 2K League, and be pro athletes,” says Brendan Donahue, managing director of the NBA 2K league.

Players also get a chance to be seen by a global audience. The matchups are streamed on Twitch and YouTube, and there’s even a chance to win bonuses for reaching the playoffs, which this year will begin on July 24.