Ateneo's Paolo Medina, the first-ever UAAP Esports NBA 2K24 champion, surely has a good point.
Basketball, in general, is a team sport.
That's why inaugural UAAP Esports NBA 2K24 champion Paolo Medina hopes to see one change for the UAAP Esports tournament moving forward.
“I think in the future, it only makes sense if the UAAP 2K continues as a Pro-Am game,” Medina said after taking part in the NBA 2K25’s official local launch on Friday, September 6, at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay.
Medina was joined by DLSU’s Keegan Yap, the man he beat to rule the event, and other personalities in experiencing the latest edition of the NBA 2K series.
[ALSO READ: Ateneo’s Paolo Medina claims inaugural UAAP esports NBA 2K crown in thrilling finals showdown]
“That’s five players per school [Pro-Am] so it’s going to be much more fun to watch,” Medina added.
Yap shares the sentiment as his UAAP Esports rival, emphasizing that Pro-Am is widely utilized in most other countries, especially in the United States.
"The true Esports side of [NBA] 2K is the Pro-Am side. I think everybody hopes it’s going to be the Pro-Am mode,” Yap said.
The Pro-Am mode is one of NBA 2K’s features that debuted in the 2K16 version. The mode enables five different players to go head-to-head against players from an opposing squad, akin to an actual 5-on-5 game.
Currently, the UAAP featured one-on-one battles during the first reiteration of the NBA 2K tournament.
A BS Information Technology Entrepreneurship student, Medina also noted that the introduction of an official collegiate Esports tournament will benefit the country’s national team in the long run.
“The UAAP Esports is such a good program and it's also a big help to the national team. More people are getting their eyes on the Pro-Am game specifically,” he said.
“This will also increase their player pool, their training pool. This helps the overall national team program,” Medina added.
The Philippines has eGilas Pilipinas competing in NBA 2K, and the team finished 4th in the eFIBA Season 2 World Finals last year, losing in the semifinals to eventual champion Team USA.