How Shaka Browne went from Uber driver to NBA 2K superstar

Growing up in Mount Vernon, N.Y., Shaka Browne had dreams of being an NBA player as an 8-year-old - of having his name called at the draft in a glamorous arena like Madison Square Garden, and being the point guard of a team he would lead to a championship.

On April 4, 2018, those dreams came true for Browne, a 25-year-old who was a full-time Uber driver back home. At the Hulu Center at Madison Square Garden, he was Utah's third overall pick. But he won't be taking his talents to a basketball arena; instead, he'll be the point guard for Jazz Gaming, one of 17 teams competing in the inaugural NBA 2K League, which begins Tuesday.

Browne was one of 102 draftees who will participate in the gaming league, which will last for 17 weeks, with the playoffs beginning Aug. 17. NBA 2K players will earn approximately $35,000 over the six-month commitment, with an available prize pool of $1,000,000. Teams also cover the cost of housing and relocation for their players, and health insurance and a retirement plan are included as well.

To hear Browne tell it, playing video games for a living is every bit as incredible as it would appear to outsiders.

"We all grew up with people saying, 'Hey, don't play video games, get a life, go to college, get a degree or you'll be a bum,'" Browne told theScore. "It's been the stigma with gaming for years. But we're in a new era now."

In the new era, gamers like Browne, who admits he was a sore loser in anything competitive growing up, now has a chance to turn a hobby into a job. Like a lot of kids growing up, video gaming was a novelty for him; something to kill the time with. After school, he would go home and play anything from Mario Party to Goldeneye to wrestling games with 12 of his friends.

"We had a rule," Browne said. "You win, you stay on. I always tried to win so I could stay on the controller."

The competitiveness became a part of his identity. When he watched Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant reign supreme with the Lakers, winning three championships together, he was inspired.

"They dominated the league," Browne said. "I wanted to do that. I didn't have the ability to get into the NBA, so I started playing NBA 2K instead."

The first time he played was in 2007. His go-to team was the Detroit Pistons and his favorite 2K player was Chauncey Billups. At first, it was just a series of quick matches against opponents online. Browne quickly realized he was showing up on the leaderboards.

The first important moment that steered him toward becoming a professional 2K player came in 2010.

"I started playing with friends from the neighborhood," he said. "We just played for fun, but we were moving up the leaderboards. I started to realize if I found people who played the game with the same intensity as me, I could compete with everybody."

It made sense, then, that Browne adopted the gamer name Yeah I Compete.

One of those people who played with the same intensity and competed at a high level in the game was Aaron Rookwood, also from Mount Vernon. Browne and Rookwood were considered the best 2K players in their neighborhood. The two started putting in a lot of time playing together and discussing strategies. Rockwood lived five minutes away, so Browne would often walk over to play with him. The two were part of a team that entered a Road to the Finals tournament in 2016.

After 16 weeks of qualifying, which required 12 consecutive hours of gameplay every Saturday, Browne's team qualified for the tournament and made it to the finals, which came with a $250,000 prize. His team lost, and went home empty-handed.

"When I took the plane back to New York, it just tore me up," he said. "It also made me realize how seriously I took the game and how badly I wanted it. I felt like I let everybody down and I told myself I would never let that happen again."

Browne's devotion to 2K grew, and he started to make sacrifices in other areas of his life to continue to improve as a gamer. He was working as a security manager at Mercy College, but he quit to be an Uber driver full-time during the day so he could have the flexibility to work 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and play 2K from 5 p.m. to midnight. The routine ran from Monday to Saturday, leaving Sunday as a day to recharge.

This February, when the NBA 2K League was announced, Browne was ready. To hear him speak of the process that got him on the podium shaking Adam Silver's hand is like hearing the process of any NBA rookie. First, there was a 2K combine, where 70,000 players worldwide competed in five-on-five play. The field was eventually narrowed down to 102 for the draft, and that's when teams started reaching out for pre-draft interviews.

"They asked 2K questions," Browne said. "How long you've been playing, what your resume is, what you've accomplished. They want to know your lifestyle, how much time you're putting into the game, whether you're working full-time or putting in the hours. They wanted to gauge just how much it meant to you."

It finally hit Browne on draft day just how incredible the entire experience was. The same friends he would play video games with after school in middle school were in attendance to cheer him on, along with his girlfriend. His family watched at home as he was selected third overall. Rookwood was taken 10th overall by Bucks Gaming.

Browne relocated to Utah - he hadn't been there before - and has already attended a few Jazz games. He's also looking forward to hiking and exploring the mountains. Just like an NBA player, he has to acclimate himself to new teammates, too. There have been 2K practices to get familiar with the other gamers on the team, and game plans which he has to remember, since he's the point guard. Trainers have been giving him tips on staying healthy and getting proper sleep in order to be in a good mental state for the season.

Every player will compete in 2K as themselves, based on archetypes depending on the position they play, with an overall rating of 90. For example, a point guard like Browne can be either a shot-creating slasher, shot-creating sharpshooter, slashing playmaker, sharpshooting playmaker, or playmaking shot creator.

A shooting guard can be a sharpshooting defender or a pure sharpshooter. A power forward could be a slashing rim-protector or a rebounding athletic finisher. Each player's attribute ratings are distributed accordingly based on the archetype.

Browne is a shot-creating sharpshooter, and he says his personality is based on Bryant. But as far as running the point, he hopes the playing style he brings to Jazz Gaming will remind folks of another Utah legend: John Stockton.

Browne doesn't turn 26 until June, and is excited about the prospects of where this can take him as a gamer.

"We're the pioneers of this league and we're responsible for the success of it," Browne said. "We've put in the work, time, and dedication to stay on top of our game. We're not born with God-given abilities where we're just 6-8 and can just walk and talk and dribble a basketball. We had to actually learn the game."

Most importantly, Browne hopes his story and the others in the NBA 2K League can offer a path for young gamers growing up.

"This is a real thing," Browne said. "If you believe and you're passionate, and you think you can compete at the highest level, I would encourage all parents to support their child's dream. Literally anyone can be here."

Alex Wong is an NBA freelance writer whose work has appeared in GQ, The New Yorker, Vice Sports, and Complex, among other publications.

(Photos courtesy: Getty Images)