Nearly everyone who’s in their early 20s is focused on getting their life in order. Whether it’s finishing up school or starting their first job, chances are they’ve had to either cut down or completely cut out video games to focus on their career.

What if you could do both? Just ask Toronto native Ryan “Devillon” de Villon.

At 23, Devillon has secured both a degree and had the experience of a lifetime playing in the NBA 2K League.

“I never thought I would ever become a pro gamer,” said Devillon. “I’ve always been knowledgeable about the community of gaming, watching Twitch, watching streamers, and pro leagues. I had always wanted to do something in the media stream, essentially public relations and event management. Coincidentally, I received my degree, just months before the 2K League was announced and the timing was perfect.”

The NBA 2K series is one of the most storied and realistic sports video games on the market. It is revered by casual gamers and professionals alike and has been called the best sports game out there. In fact, the series has been going on for so long that Devillon remembers playing against his cousins on the Sega Dreamcast, a system that was released in 1999.

“I would never win,” Devillon recalled, laughing. “Maybe I should challenge them again one of these days.”

It wasn’t long ago that Devillon started working harder at becoming better at the game. Perhaps it was to prepare for that rematch or possibly to make a career of playing 2K.

“I’ve always known I was good at 2K, but I never really took it seriously until recently. Throughout the past couple years I mostly played with friends, sometimes making bets with them, but mostly for fun. Until recently, when 2K started doing tournaments worth tons of money, and eventually the 2K League, then I started to become a little more serious with the game and invest more time and effort.”

Even though he had the talent, the 2K League wasn’t always No. 1 on his radar.

“After not making it into multiple tournaments that were hosted by 2K, the idea of a league wasn’t that appealing to me. At first glance, I thought, ‘a league? There is no way they pick random people up like me. They are just going to choose all the big names.’ Yet here we are.”

It’s completely reasonable for Devillon to have considered himself as being a random person. After all, the vetting process to get into the draft started with 72,000 competitors who qualified. It was then reduced to 250 and eventually to the final 102 players.

“I started out not thinking I was going to get drafted at all. So, honestly, I was never really worried or doubting myself because I went into it with an open mind not expecting anything. But the further I got in the selection process, the phone calls, emails, and interviews got way more intense.”

On April 3, 2018, the NBA announced the inaugural 102 players who were eligible for the draft. Ryan de Villon, a small forward hailing from Canada, was on that list.

“I was in my kitchen, on my phone, seeing Twitter reactions of people getting phone calls saying they got selected as a player for the league. Phone in one hand, a samosa in the other, chewing. Then my phone starts to ring – a call from New York.

“Hey, is this Ryan de Villon?”

“Yes?”

“Hey, this is Jerome from the NBA.”

“[I] dropped the samosa right after I heard that.”

Drafted with the first pick in the fifth round, Devillon was headed to the Mavs Gaming team, an offshoot of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, after signing a six-month contract worth $32,000.

“Stunned,” said Devillon. “No other word for it. I didn’t believe what was going on and I paced around my house maybe five times.”

From that moment on, Devillon’s life for the next six months would be nothing like he’s ever experienced. This meant saying goodbye to his family so he could pursue this opportunity of a lifetime.

“My family has been nothing short of supportive. From the moment I told my mom I was going to be in the NBA, and she said I’m too short, they have been the most supportive people along this journey. They’ve watched countless videos, countless streams, and even came out to New York to support me. I can’t thank them enough.”

As soon as word got out that he was one of five Canadian players selected in the 2K Draft, Devillon had to start explaining to friends and family what he does for a living. Instead of having to explain the 2K League, he shortened it to just one sentence.

“I have $30,000 fingers, and I play video games.”

The next step was getting to Dallas with those expensive fingers.

“The process was actually quite difficult and a nuisance. Living in Canada and being a Canadian citizen meant that myself, and the other four Canadians in the league, went through a long annoying process of acquiring Work Visas that took hours of hard work by the league to get us there on time. I actually had two more international teammates, one from Germany, and one from the UK. This meant that we, as a team, the six members of the MavsGG team, never actually all practised together before our first game even started.”

Mavs Gaming, just like the Mavericks, are owned by Mark Cuban. No stranger to esports, Cuban had direct involvement with the esports team.

“The first time I saw Mark Cuban with my [own] eyes was my first day in Dallas. [He was] fresh off the plane and arriving at the office to do some paperwork. He was doing an interview and I walked by him and he gave me a look. I have never felt so nervous in my life. A couple billion dollars in the form of Mark Cuban just looked at me.”

Cuban would do more than just look at Devillon and the team. In fact, he would go out of his way to make the team feel welcome and at home.

“He was a super supportive guy,” said Devillon. He came by multiple times to our facility to see us practising, say happy Birthday, and he was nothing short of nice. The guy is an avid esports supporter and you could tell the moment you walked into that facility.”

However, just because he’s nice doesn’t mean that Cuban isn’t slightly intimidating.

“When you’re mid-practice, mid-intense game, and he walks in cheering you guys on, trust me, you get nervous.”

As soon as Devillon got inside the gaming house, the hard work started to roll in. On Mondays, the team would spend the day doing media activities, events, and videos. From Tuesday to Thursday, the team would get together at 9:30 a.m. and then finish the day off with a practice and film review session that lasted six-and-a-half hours. From Friday to Sunday, they would leave Dallas and head to New York City to prepare for their game.

One of the hottest topics in esports has to do with the credibility of facilities within organizations. MavsGG boast one of the most elite facilities in all of esports.

“At the gaming facility, we could never complain. We were surrounded by the best technology, the best staff, the best environment one could ask for as an esports athlete.”

Devilonn also took note of some sweet perks that were available at the gaming house. “Sponsorships by Gatorade, Redbull, food companies like Territory Foods. A.K.A. free stuff.”

With the first season of the 2K League now in the books, Devillon no doubt wants another crack at making a run to the championship. However, with the way the league is set up to accommodate the upcoming expansion draft, the opportunity might not be with the MavsGG team.

“My goal at the moment is to sign with a team for the second season of the league. But if that doesn’t fall through, then darn, I guess I have to use my degree I paid thousands of dollars for.”

From losing to his cousins on Dreamcast, being selected from among 72,000 people, and even dropping a samosa along the way, the man with the $30,000 fingers can only look back on the experience with humility and praise.

“The 2K League has definitely changed my life. Being chosen as one of the top 100 players in the world is not something I’ll ever forget. I’ve experienced so many things I never thought possible on this journey. I’ve met NBA players, both past and recent. I’ve met celebrities. I’ve travelled the country on a weekly basis. I’ve met people from around the world and learned from them.

“None of these things I would have ever thought were possible, but a lot can change in a couple months.”