NBA 2K League Draft 2021 Results: Lakers Gaming Selects Arshia Karimi as No. 1 Pick
The NBA 2K league Draft 2021 arrived on Saturday night, and in smart fashion, Lakers Gaming took the top available player. Arshia Karimi, aka vKrxzy, was selected as the first overall pick for the professional 2K squad. The struggling club was in need of a boost after finishing with a disappointing 3-13 record in their recent season. Not only that, but a recent trade also meant the team needed to add some potential stars for the coming season.
Arshia Karimi is No. 1 pick for Lakers Gaming
Following this year’s NBA 2K League Draft Lottery, a process which closely mimics how the real NBA draft lottery works, there were no surprises when it came to the first overall pick in the NBA 2K League Draft 2021. As expected, it was announced that the best available player, VKrxzy, was going to Lakers Gaming. Doing the honors was seven-time NBA Champion, Robert Horry. The former Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs star revealed that Arshia Karimi was headed to LG.
Karimi put up great numbers at the Draft Combine with 19.2 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.7 assists per game. His win percentage was just 62 percent, according to a 2K League report, but that’s pretty good for Lakers Gaming, who won just under 19 percent of their games.
Heading into the draft, LKG needed basically every position except for a small forward. However, the Lakers held two of the first 10 picks in the NBA 2K League Draft 2021, giving them room to upgrade the roster. One of those was No. 7 overall, which they acquired in a recent trade where they sent Sten “SAV” Valge-Saar to Heat Check Gaming.
Overall, Lakers Gaming held the first, seventh, 24h, 38th, and 61st overall picks in the annual draft, giving them plenty of options.
Later in the first round, Lakers Gaming would select shooting guard Maurice “ReeseDaGod” Delaney to add to their roster further. The seventh pick came due to their earlier trade with Heat Check Gaming.
NBA 2K League Draft 2021 results: First round picks
The second pick went to Pacers Gaming, who selected Enrique Xavier Barraza, aka 630. Warriors Gaming Squad had the third pick, which they acquired from Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai. They opted for Vernon Coates, aka Hezi. The 76ers GC followed that up with their pick acquired from Pistons GT, selecting Andre “Dre” Marshall.
Celtics Crossover Gaming held the fifth (from Cavs Legion GC) and sixth picks. They chose Torin Williams (iBall Tay7o) and Dorian Earl Miller (WalkingBucket), with the picks.
Several trades arrived during the night, including Utah Jazz Gaming sending their No. 20 pick to Hornets Venom in exchange for ExposeHim.
The NBA 2K League Draft 2021 included a total of 265 players with 33 international players from nine different countries. There were also 10 women among the available players in the draft pool this year. Coverage was live streamed on NBA 2K’s official YouTube and Twitch channels throughout the event.
Complete NBA 2K League Draft results are available through the official website here.
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