Toronto's virtual entry in the NBA 2K League next season will be known as the Raptors Uprising Gaming Club (GC).
The first year of the basketball video game circuit will feature 17 teams, each with their roster of gamers. Competition is slated to start in May.
Co-founders NBA and Take-Two Interactive Software, which publishes the NBA game, says the NBA 2K League will feature the best players in the world.
Each team will draft gamers to compete as unique characters in 5-on-5 play against the other teams in a mix of regular-season games, tournaments and playoffs.
Gamers will have to earn their stripes.
The first stage of qualifying for the NBA 2K League runs through January. All prospective players, 18 years or older, need to win 50 games in NBA 2K18's Pro-Am mode on PlayStation 4 or Xbox One and complete an online application by Jan. 31.
Those that advance move on to the next round of tryouts held in February. After the final round, the best players will be selected for an official league draft in March when each competing NBA team will select five players who will play the game using unique characters.
The Raptors Uprising GC logo features a chevron, a design element pulled from the side panel of the team's current jersey.
The franchise says its esport team will "also reflect the same 'outsider' attitude that differentiates the team from the rest of the league."
The Canadian Press
