LAS VEGAS ([FOX5](http://fox5vegas.com/)) — As the Emirates NBA Cup reaches its final night, one of the most recognizable faces at Toshiba Plaza isn’t on the court — he’s in the video game NBA 2K.
Ronnie Singh, known as “Ronnie 2K,” never set out to be famous.
“It wasn’t purposeful. What really happened was social media grew,” Singh said.
Raised in Northern California by immigrant parents from India, Singh played basketball at UC San Diego, worked at two firms and even went to law school before realizing his true passion.
“I didn’t know what my passion was, really, except for sports. I knew I wanted to work in the sports world,” Singh said.
He landed a job at 2K and created a social media page called “Ronnie 2K” to give game updates. As social media took off, so did he — eventually becoming a character inside the game that millions of players interact with.
“Yeah, it’s weird. I definitely did not want to be a known entity… I never wanted to be in front of the scenes,” Singh said.
Now he’s a bridge between the league, its players and fans online.
“The NBA has been leading the way in terms of influencer and creator innovation… these super fans that have an engaged audience are their leaders in being able to storytell around the game” Singh said.
For a younger generation, live streaming and social media are often their first connection to the NBA.
“That kind of authenticity, that kind of access has really led to a lot of them taking off… it’s this generation’s number one way to market,” Singh said.
Tuesday night, the Knicks and the Spurs faced off for the Cup and a big payday. Players on the winning team get a significant bonus that can be life-changing for minimum or two-way players, while the losing team still walks away with more than $200,000 per player.
Singh’s story is heading to the big screen. A documentary about his life is set to premiere at South by Southwest next year, featuring his family and friends — including Strip headliner Diplo.
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