Photo courtesy of Hawks Talon GC
MarkDavid “Glizzy” Smith was the No.1 overall pick for the Hawks Talon GC this year. Born and raised in Chicago, Smith always had a love for the game of basketball and played in high school until suffering a knee injury that led him to pick up NBA 2K.
Since he was 16, Smith has been highly regarded in the 2K community, but couldn’t play in the league until he was 18. He’s also a part of OTF Gaming, Lil Durk’s gaming organization.How has your first season been?
It’s been going well. On the court, we’ve been getting better over time, and off the court, I’ve been getting used to living by myself at 18 and moving out of my parent’s house for the first time. I was kind of missing my mom, but now I’m used to it. I call her every other day or so or every night and we just chop it up.How have you been able to adjust to the new platform of the 2k League?
I’ve been trusting my instincts and the people around me like Wesley, and just trusting the process. I didn’t play 3v3, so I was learning from Ceez because he’s a superstar guard and took the Hawks Talon GC to the playoffs. I’m sitting back now and learning 5v5 from him, and getting ready for the tournament.
When did you start taking gaming seriously?
It was during COVID. I always played 2K, but during COVID I was just stuck in the house and I got hurt. I used to play basketball, so I took my basketball IQ and I put it into Pro-Am, and it got me to where I am now. When I played basketball it was a lot of pick-and-roll sets, so me being able to read the game and knowing how everything goes, it was easy for me to transition into 2K. I knew how to dribble and do other things since I was younger, so it was a quick transition into 5v5.
What do you think people don’t understand about the 2K League?
That it’s a real job, and some people don’t think it is. With my schedule, I have to wake up at 11 a.m., I might have to do stuff for media, and then I have practice from either [noon] to 6 p.m. or [noon] to 8 p.m., and then I might have a game. It’s cool and definitely fun, but it’s a job and you have to get used to it after a while. Then you may miss your family, and some people come here and have kids. It’s a win-based league, so if you’re not winning a lot, you don’t make much money besides the base salary.
Source: Rolling Out
