With the news that Houston Rockets have appointed Sebastian Park as Director of Esports Development, Bloomberg also reported that the NBA side’s owner is looking to invest in the sector.
Les Alexander is the owner of the Houston Rockets, but it was Park who told Bloomberg: “Nothing is off the table. We’re going to look at everything.” This is a line that will widen the eyes of esports startups the world over and that of team owners looking for a sale too.
The expectation now is that Houston Rockets will enter a team in some form, whether that’s starting from scratch with their own brand and building a team, or acquiring one already in existence. Parks stated: “What really drew me to the Rockets was their ability to say, ‘There are things we know, and things we don’t know. We know the esports space is valuable, now let’s take time and really figure it out.”
This approach is a breath of fresh air after a whirlwind of traditional clubs entering the space in some form. The Rocket’s owner joins those behind the scenes in the Philadelphia 76ers, Sacramento Kings, Washington Wizards and Golden State Warriors.
Sebastian Park’s own background is in team ownership. He co-owned Team Archon until recently: “A lot of people look at esports myopically, as something that needs to explode in the next week to make ends meet, and I was there, I ran a team in that manner. The Rockets can approach this not from the perspective of a start-up, but as an organization that can make bets with the purpose of being a major player in this space.”
Esports Insider says: The patient approach being taken by Houston Rockets in entering esports is great news, and bringing an endemic experienced figure on board makes a lot of sense pre-investment.