Esports franchise Team Liquid sold to Magic Johnson, NBA co-owners group

Esports franchise Team Liquid said Tuesday it has sold its controlling interest to a group of investors including NBA Hall-of-FamerMagic Johnson and co-owners ofthe Golden State Warriors and the Washington Wizards.

The newly formed ownership group, called Axiomatic Esports, is headed by Peter Guber and Ted Leonsis, and includes other names such as AOL co-founder Steve Case.

GuberandLeonsiswill serve as co-executive chairmen of Team Liquid.

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Guber, CEO of the MandalayEntertainment Group and co-owner of the NBA's Golden State Warriors and MLB'sLos Angeles Dodgers. Leonsis is majority owner of Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which owns the NBA's Washington Wizards and theNHL's Washington Capitals.

Team Liquid'scurrent co-CEOs Victor Goossens and Steve Archanet will continue in their roles and serve as "directors," according to a team statement.

Goossens, also known by his online handleNazgul, wrote that "everything will be thesame but better" as a result of the partnership.

Founded in 2001 and based in the Netherlands,Team Liquid is one of the oldest esports franchises. It currently has over 50 professional playersfrom different countries and regionssigned across severalcompetitive games,including League of Legends, Starcraft 2 and Street Fighter 5.

Most of its current roster is made up ofAmerican and European players, but its Overwatch team includes two Canadians, Keven "AZK" Lariviere and Andrew "id_" Trulli.

"I've now put almost half of my life into Team Liquid, and I'm ready to begin a new chapter in the ongoing story of our presence in esports," he wrote.

Pro sports investing in esports

It's the second major esports acquisition this week. On Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers announced they had acquired TeamDignitas and Team Apex, merging them into a single franchise with the Dignitas name. The teams have players in multiplegames including League of Legends, Counter-Strike: GO and Overwatch.

TeamNRG, which has League and Counter-Strikeplayers on its roster, includes Alex Rodriguez and Shaquille O'Neal among its big-name investors.

And some soccer clubs, including VFLWolfsburg, Manchester United and West Ham United have signedFIFAvideo game players.

Esports blurs video gaming and pro-sports

8 years ago

Duration 2:22

Top gamers earn millions and events pack stadiums much like pro-sports, CBC's Deana Sumanac-Johnson reports

Competitive gaming, already a force in Asia, has been slowly but steadily growing in presence and visibility in North America and European markets.

This summer, the Street Fighter 5 finals of the Evolution Championship Series was broadcast on ESPN 2.

And in August,thousands of fans filled the Air Canada Centre in Toronto for the League of Legends North American summer finals.