- NBA 2K League team Bucks Gaming will once again partner with Super Smash Bros. tournament Smash ‘N’ Splash.
- The organization will assist with travel arrangements for Japanese Smash pro Masaya “aMSa” Chikamoto.
- Bucks Gaming will have a presence at the event, and will also organize a meet and greet with Chikamoto.
Bucks Gaming 
, esports arm of the NBA franchise Milwaukee Bucks, has partnered for the second year with Super Smash Bros . tournament series Smash ‘N’ Splash. In addition to having a presence at the event (which takes place at the Kalahari resort in the Wisconsin Dells waterpark), Bucks Gaming will assist in bringing Japanese Super Smash Bros. Melee pro player Masaya “aMSa” Chikamoto to Wisconsin to compete in the tournament.
Additionally, Bucks Gaming will organize a meet and greet with Chikamoto during his stay.
Last year, the NBA 2K League brand sponsored the Smash ‘N’ Splash’s Pro Player Lounge with the stated goal of “collaborating with the larger esports communities in and around the Midwest.”
“Smash ‘N’ Splash is the largest esports tournament in Wisconsin and it’s an event that continues to grow each year,” Milwaukee Bucks esports manager Andrew Buck told The Esports Observer. “We realize that the NBA 2K and Smash community don’t have a natural crossover, but we do know that there’s an appetite for community and high-level competition. We want to naturally develop our presence through deliberate activations and collaborations.”
Credit: GamersHQ
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Super Smash Bros. is a unique esport in that it has no official tournament circuit or professional league, and no true world championship to speak of. The prestige or significance of any given tournament is largely determined by the total entrants at an event, and the number of highly ranked players in attendance. By enabling Chikamoto (currently ranked 9th in the world) to attend Smash ‘N’ Splash, Bucks Gaming has effectively increased the level of importance the tournament will have to both top level players and spectators.
“We were focused on identifying the right opportunity that would resonate with the fans and competitors of Smash ‘N’ Splash,” said Buck. “We set out with the goal to create a unique experience that would have a lasting impression on everyone involved.”
Like the Overwatch League , the NBA 2K League teams each represent a specific city and region tied to their NBA counterpart. While most teams have made efforts to develop local fan engagement, Bucks Gaming is one of the few that has attempted to expand its reach beyond NBA 2K.
“One of our primary goals is to differential ourselves from the other 20 teams involved in the NBA 2K League,” said Buck. “We believe sending aMSa to Smash ‘N’ Splash 5 is an incredible opportunity to bring Bucks Gaming brand to the Smash community in an original, yet influential way. We hope to grow the Bucks Gaming brand from an NBA 2K League team into the premier Wisconsin esports brand with international influence.”
