Shaq assembles an 'Overwatch' dream team under NRG Esports

As the North American finals approached in the first ever international Overwatch tournament, former NBA star Shaquille O'Neal called out to one of the top Overwatch squads in the U.S. to come play for his team -- NRG.

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The team that NRG acquired is led by one of the most popular Overwatch streamers in the world, Brandon "Seagull" Larned, who used to fight under the banner of Luminosity Gaming. Under Luminosity, Seagull qualified in the first round for ESL's Overwatch Atlantic Showdown along with teammates Pookz, Enigma, Milo and Gods.

The sixth member of NRG, Dummy, qualified with his former squad, Team Liquid, and joined the rest of the NRG teammates after their contracts expired with Luminosity.

Shaq, along with a number of other sports stars, is an investor in NRG Esports, which was founded by Sacramento Kings co-owner Andy Miller and Mark Mastrov. NRG sprang up in November 2015 after purchasing a League of Legends team.

Because placement in the Atlantic Showdown tournament is based on team members and not organizations, NRG essentially purchased what used to be Luminosity Gaming's spot in the North American playoffs. Luminosity Gaming has signed European team 2Stronk, which did not qualify for a spot in the grand finals held in Germany.

The new NRG team lost against Fnatic in the North American playoffs on Wednesday.

Whether the team wins the ESL Atlantic Showdown or not, NRG has purchased what is likely the most popular and best performing Overwatch team in North America, and the players seem to be in it with NRG for the long run.

"After receiving offers from many different organizations, we felt that NRG was the best fit for us in order to build a long term relationship in Overwatch," Seagull said in a statement. "We can’t wait to see how the competitive scene develops in Overwatch and we know we’ll have all the support we need under NRG.”