Sick One and Legit 973: The first siblings to play on the same NBA 2K League team

TORONTO, Ont.—Leading up to their final pick in the 2020 NBA 2K League Draft, Raptors Uprising GC star Jerry “Sick One” Knapp had no idea which direction his team was heading.

“I really wasn’t sure,” recalled Sick One. “Shane [Talbot] wouldn’t say that we were going to draft him, but he also wouldn’t say that we weren’t. As long as he was, or his stats said that he was one of the top players available, then there was a chance.”

An integral part of the Raptors Uprising organization, Sick One was consulted with and kept in the loop while the team carefully constructed the rest of their starting roster. But according to the vet, who’s set to enter his third NBA 2K League Season, before Raptors Uprising announced who the sixth player of their squad would be, about an hour elapsed where he didn’t hear from management.

“I knew about the three picks prior, like we were talking about [them] every second, but then after the third pick—boom—it just went silent,” he said, with a laugh. “When we were sitting in the chair waiting to get called, I was probably more nervous than him!”

The tension added to the overall moment, mentioned the centre, as he anxiously sat at the Draft floor in New York City. Then, finally, NBA 2K League Managing Director Brendan Donohue stepped up to the podium to announce the Raptors Uprising selection, and what a moment it was for the Knapp family.

Jake “Legit 973” Knapp was drafted by Toronto’s professional esports team (52nd overall), joining his big brother north of the border and becoming the first set of siblings to ever play for the same NBA 2K League franchise.

“It was unreal,” said Legit 973. “Being drafted was just a crazy feeling. It’s like once in a lifetime.”

“I sort of envisioned it in my head a few times playing out, but it’s never the same,” added Sick One, who was retained by Raptors Uprising ahead of Season 3. “It’s going to be exciting. I’m in the Bell Fibe House with actual family now.”

The two siblings will live, travel, and game together this summer at the Raptors Uprising Bell Fibe House along the beautiful Lakeshore in Toronto. They’ll be part of the six-player Toronto squad that will compete for a prize pool of $1.4 million USD over the course of the five-month season. They’ll fly weekly to the new state-of-the-art studio in Manhattan to play in-person against other NBA 2K League franchises.

It’s an experience that neither will take for granted; in fact, Legit 973 says that if he wasn’t drafted last month, he’d likely be looking for another job or preparing to go to off to college.

On the surface, this is already a heartwarming story. But when you consider everything that the two brothers have gone through as of late, it sort of puts the entire moment into perspective.

“Before the combine happened, [my mom] was like ‘I really hope Jake can make it this year,’” said Sick One. “And then he got his email—and my mom went crazy in the house. He didn’t even make the next part yet; this was one of the first steps! I was like ‘Ma, it’s not even like that.’ But she didn’t care.

She was super excited—and that was just a week prior to her passing.”

Just before Christmas, Jerry and Jake unexpectedly lost their mom.

“My mom wanted me to get drafted, and she was really excited when I got the first email, so that was great and something I thought about when I heard my name get called,” said Legit 973, thinking back to the moment he was chosen.

When speaking with the two brothers, you immediately get a sense of how supportive their mother was of their professional gaming aspirations. They’ll tell you that she was never the type of mom to tell them to stop playing, and she’d even brag to her friends about how her older son was working with the NBA.

“Actually, the night before she passed, we were just sitting down eating and we were joking about Jake’s interviews and everything,” said Sick One. “We were just talking about it. So, everything was a shock. But she really wanted him to get in.”

While it’ll definitely be bittersweet without his biggest supporter, Legit 973 will have that opportunity in 2020 as the sixth man of Raptors Uprising, a role that the 18-year-old sharpshooter says he’ll have to take in stride.

“I’m going to take it day by day; I’m going to play when I get my chance, and I’m going to play my best, and we’ll see what happens. If they’re playing good with their five, then there’s no need for me to come in,” the Season 3 rookie humbly acknowledged.

A talented ball handler, Legit 973 says that he’s comfortable playing the 2 through 4. Since he touched down in Toronto on Friday—for the first time in his life—he’s been grinding alongside the team, getting some reps in at various positions as the club scrimmages against other squads.

As for their expectations for Raptors Uprising in 2020, the brothers both share the same end goal: making the playoffs and ultimately winning the championship.

Sick One, in particular, is looking forward to starting this year with the team from the North from the very first game of the season, as the big man was acquired via trade from Cavs Legion GC midway through 2019. The 27-year-old stood out and impressed—on and off the court—since he arrived, and with his brother by his side, he’s looking forward to what he’ll do in Season 3.

“I think [living with Jake] relaxes me more. No matter what it is, you can live in a house with five of your best friends, but sometimes it’ll never feel like home,” said Sick One. “If you live with somebody you’ve lived with for 18 years, you know, it gives you that sense of comfort.”

Legit 973, meanwhile, mentions that he shares that same sentiment; he believes that being with his older brother, as opposed to elsewhere in the league, will only elevate his game.

Their mom wanted her younger son to experience the feeling of being a professional NBA 2K League player, and that’s something Legit 973 will be able to experience—alongside his older brother, Sick One—this summer at the Bell Fibe House in Toronto.