The following was sent to Inven Global as a Press Release

New York, N.Y., (March 15, 2021) --- Andbox, the New York Tri-State area’s flagship esports organization, today announced that basketball champion Kevin Durant and Rich Kleiman’s Thirty Five Ventures will be joining as investors and creative partners. Andbox made history by bringing professional esports franchises to the New York Tri-State area, which boasts a population of more than 23 million residents that makes it home to one of the largest esports and gaming audiences in the world.

A longtime fan of esports, Durant and Thirty Five Ventures will be active partners across a range of initiatives for Andbox, including the creation of new entertainment content and the design of new merchandise collections.

“The passion that New York sports fans have has really hit home with me,” said Kevin Durant, two-time champion and president of Thirty Five Ventures. “Andbox is bringing that same energy to esports here, and that’s something Thirty Five Ventures is very excited to be a part of.”

With Kevin joining Andbox, esports and basketball fans alike can look forward to seeing him in action, playing alongside some of the best pros in the world across the Andbox organization, including the New York Subliners (NYSL) in the Call of Duty League.

“There is no bigger stage in the world to compete on than here in New York, and that’s what drives superstars like Kevin Durant here and thankfully to us, just as it did with Clayster, a back-to-back Call of Duty champion who joined us this offseason,” said Farzam Kamel, Co-Founder and President, Andbox. “The New York Tri-State area is the country’s largest market and a global hub for practically everything from sports and media to youth culture and fashion, yet it’s been long overlooked in the gaming industry. We’re changing that with Andbox and promise to keep delivering for New York’s fans and elevate New York esports on the world stage.”

In addition to the NYSL franchise, Andbox also owns and operates the New York Excelsior (NYXL) franchise of the Overwatch League, and is home to New York’s first-ever Valorant team that competes under the Andbox name. Since launching in 2018, it has gained the backing of major sports and media organizations, as well as individuals like actor and producer Michael B. Jordan, David Levy (former president of Turner), Jeff Raider (co-founder and CEO of Harry’s), Neil Blumenthal (co-founder and CEO of Warby Parker), Adam Leibsohn (co-founder and COO of GIPHY), and Roham Gharegozlou (Founder and CEO of Dapper Labs).

Andbox balances having a diverse, global audience while staying true to its hometown roots by giving fans in the New York Tri-State area opportunities to connect with each other in-person around their passion for gaming. The organization has regularly hosted retail pop-ups, watch parties, player meet and greets, amateur tournaments, and live games at major venues for its professional teams. Looking ahead, Andbox will resume live events in New York when it is again safe, and launch permanent, state-of-the-art Andbox branded gaming centers where local fans can play, watch, and compete together.