Grizz Gaming announces Michael “Purp” Thomas as scout & assistant coach
February 27, 2019
Grizz Gaming, the NBA 2K League team of the Memphis Grizzlies, today announced Michael “Purp” Thomas as the team’s scout. Purp has been playing 2K since the game was played on SEGA Dreamcast and has been part of the competitive 2K community since 2K17. He is well-known in the 2K gaming community through running multiple online tournaments and for helping link players with teams in the 2K Community via his popular Twitter account (@Big_Brudda_PURP).
“Grizz Gaming is thrilled to add Purp to our family,” said Grizz Gaming GM Lang Whitaker. “His stature in the 2K community and his overall basketball knowledge makes him a perfect fit for this role. After getting to know Purp and his family over the last year, we couldn’t be more excited to have Purp on our team, and we know he will do a tremendous job helping us prepare for the upcoming draft and our games throughout the season.”
Thomas, who is originally from Aberdeen, Miss., currently resides in Tupelo, and is a veteran of the United States military. He did his basic training in South Carolina and was also stationed in Virginia, Georgia, Hawaii and California. From June 2010-July 2011, he toured Iraq while stationed at Camp Ramadi.
During his time in the Army, he played and coached his post’s basketball team and won multiple championships. Purp played four years of varsity basketball at Aberdeen High School, earning district Defensive Player of the Year honors twice and was a Mississippi North Half All-Star in 2006 as a senior.
Fans can visit the team’s website, grizzgaming.com, for all news, updates and happenings regarding the team. Additionally, fans can follow the team on Twitch at twitch.tv/grizzgaming, @grizzgaming on Twitter and Instagram, as well as GrizzliesGaming on Facebook and Snapchat to follow along with the team’s inaugural season.
About the NBA 2K League
The NBA 2K League is a professional esports league co-founded by the NBA and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO). Launched in 2018, the league features the best 102 NBA 2K players in the world. Each of the league’s 17 teams drafted six players to compete as unique characters in 5-on-5 play against the other teams in a mix of regular-season games, tournaments and playoffs. The league hosted tryouts in early 2018 before the draft in April and the season tip-off in May. For more information about the NBA 2K League, visit NBA2KLeague.com.