The Cavaliers’ NBA 2K League franchise, Cavs Legion Gaming Club (GC), opened its new facility Thursday in the Battery Park neighborhood of Cleveland.

Local youth gamers were encouraged to come to the opening to witness the ribbon-cutting ceremony and play some of their favorite games like Fortnite and Mario Kart.

The facility, located at 7524 Father Frascati Dr., is called the Legion Lair Lit by TCP. The purpose of this new facility is to provide a space for the Cavs Legion team to practice, play and stream while in season.

“I think having this new space and this new facility is cool for us because it’s not only a place for us to practice but it’s our sanctuary,” said Tim Anselimo, one of the Cavs Legion players. “We can watch film here, we can practice and there’s a full kitchen if we get hungry, so it’s everything we need.”

The Lair will be used strictly for Cavs Legion practices while the team is in season, but will be open to the public for corporate events, birthday parties, bachelor parties and other events during the offseason. It will be free for kids to come game and learn about careers in esports.

“We joined the NBA 2K League a couple of years ago and in season one we had our guys practicing in an extra apartment living room,” said Jonathan Sumers, the Cavaliers senior director of digital partnerships and esports operations. “We have six players and we quickly realized that space just wasn’t gonna cut it, so we decided to find a bigger and better space for our team when the idea dawned on us: why would we only use this for our team instead of opening it up to all of Northeast Ohio for all esports games and titles?”

The facility is over 2,700 square feet and has views of Edgewater Beach. It features state-of-the-art gaming technology as well as full-service broadcasting and streaming technology. 

For the Cavs Legion players it features full amenities, including a kitchen and all of the Cavs Legion players live in a nearby apartment complex.

Within the facility there is a two-tier stage with a dozen gaming stations set up for six-on-six NBA 2K League games and 14 more gaming stations throughout the facility. On the wall above the stage are two large monitors for spectators to view the gameplay. 

The Cavs Legion partnered with Kent State’s esports program a year ago.

“We wanted to get involved in academics in the area and the MAC (Mid American Conference) has a huge esports organization already. We just wanted to find the right partner and the right school to partner with,” said Ari Brummer, the Cavaliers coordinator of esports business operations. “Kent State was a natural fit for us, being only 45 minutes away and a massive esports program that is super well-respected and developed. We’ve really grown the partnership into more of a friendship.”

Also, in the new facility are two streaming pods for the Cavs Legion pros to stream content. These are called the Kent State Esports Pods and feature a backdrop with Kent State’s esports logo, as well as the Cavs Legion logo. The purpose of these pods is to promote Kent State Esports on professional streams.

“We have streaming pods that are entitled by Kent State both on the glass doors and on the backdrop as well as what will be said during the streams,” Brummer said.

The Hot Pockets Battle for the Land will be the first event open to the public in the Legion Lair. It is a two-on-two NBA 2K tournament on December 20.

To learn more about events and facility rentals go to CavsLegion.com and follow the Cavs Legion on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @CavsLegionGC.

Contact Aidan Coyne at [email protected].