The Houston Rockets and Cleveland Cavaliers have chosen names for their League of Legends franchises in the NA LCS, according to a report from ESPN.
The Rockets’ League brand will be Clutch City Gaming, and the Cavs will assume the name of 100 Thieves, the brand previously owned by Matthew “Nadeshot” Haag, who has reportedly been signed on to run the Cavs’ esports operations.
While neither the Cavs nor Rockets have confirmed that they have even secured spots in the franchised NA LCS to begin with, the report of their slots, as well as Nadeshot, have been included in a recent wave of claims and reports made by ESPN.
Both organizations were forced to choose new names for their League brands in accordance with NBA’s rules that prevent franchises from using NBA brands in other, non-associated sports. “Clutch City” was a term coined by the Houston Chronicle in 1994, when it headlined an article “Choke City” after the Rockets blew two home leads in the NBA Playoffs. After the Rockets went on to win the entire championship, “Clutch City” became the term to describe the home team.
Both the Rockets and Cavs are among four new teams to reportedly join the NA LCS under the new franchise system, alongside OpTic Gaming and a team run by the Golden State Warriors’ majority owner Joe Lacob.
H/T ESPN
