First-round pick CEEZ making his mark as Hawks Talon Gaming’s leading scorer

When Hawks Talon Gaming selected point guard CEEZ with the 11th overall pick in the 2021 NBA 2K League draft, many voices around the league expressed their confusion with the decision. After all, Hawks Talon already had plenty of strength at the point position with two proven scorers in BP and Kel.

So, despite being widely considered one of the best talents left on the board, CEEZ’s addition to Atlanta wasn’t immediately welcomed by some. 

Of course, being doubted and held back was nothing new for the young point guard, who has been fighting for chances in NBA 2K long before he started chasing a professional career. Through many experiences as a player constantly seen as less than others, CEEZ has developed a strong “Underdog Mentality.”

“There’s always a big chip on my shoulder,” CEEZ said. “I always live by that and when they give you a chance, always show out. Never take that for granted, perform, and don’t care about what anyone says – just come out and show them what you can do.”

For CEEZ, that started back in the age of NBA 2K10, when he would sit beside and watch his older cousin play, waiting for his opportunity.

“I think I was 10 years old. (My older cousin) used to play MyCareer mode because that’s all they had then,” he said. “Whenever he had to go eat something, he would just throw me the controller and say ‘Play for me for a second.’ From that point on, I fell in love with the game.” 

As CEEZ grew old enough to keep his own controller, his admiration for NBA 2K grew accordingly.

“I played 2K16, 2K17, 2K18, 2K19, 2K20,” he said. “All of them, just straight through.” 

As he continued to play and outshine his opponents, a professional career in the NBA 2K league didn’t seem far-fetched from a talent perspective. 

“It was around 2K20, around April. That’s when I decided, ‘Okay, this is where I start in my journey of making the 2K League,’” CEEZ said. “There were always people telling me to go for it last year, but I didn’t really think I was going to make it because my name wasn’t there. I didn’t have people watching me. So, I said ‘I’m going to start here, I’m going to win all these tournaments, all these leagues, and try to get my name out there in the postseason so that when the preseason comes back and all the leaguers come back and all of the eyes are on you, that’s when my time is to shine.’” 

Despite his success at a highly competitive level, CEEZ still was unsure about where he stood heading into the 2021 draft. In the months leading up that fateful March night, the young point guard still heard lots of criticism around his game with little appraisal to accompany it.

“You hear rumors around saying, ‘Oh we’re going to pick that guy.’ That guy was never me. I heard tons of people saying ‘Oh, CEEZ is not that guy. He’s always going to choke in big moments. I know him, he’s always going to choke.’ I heard that from a lot of players and from the 2K League,” he said. “Just the talks of people telling me I’m going to be a fall-off, I’m going to be a one-hit-wonder… just that kind of stuff.” 

Unfortunately, criticism around the 21-year-old didn’t stop when he logged off the game. As he invested more time and effort into his development as a 2K player, obstacles in his personal life began trying to steer him away from his virtual hoop dreams. 

CEEZ, known as Caesar Martinez away from the game, worked for his dad as an independent operator for Utz, making potato chips. With a secure job and steady income at hand, CEEZ’s father was initially against his son’s pursuit of the NBA 2K League. 

“My parents are Dominican, and in our culture, my parents didn’t believe in gaming. They didn’t believe in professional gaming and making a career out of it. My dad was like, ‘I don’t want you doing the 2K League… I want you doing chips.’ He didn’t want me leaving the chip company. He felt like I was his guy that always had his back at the chip company,” said CEEZ. “It was so indented in me that, at one point, I was just like, ‘Yeah I’m just going to stay here. I make enough money, so why not just stay here and do chips all day?’”

His father’s concerns persevered until draft night, where, according to CEEZ, the worries of a caring parent turned into a realization of success and achievement.

“The point it clicked in my dad’s head was when he saw me at the draft,” he said. “He saw all the setups in my house. We had cameras, we had lighting, we had food. I had everything and my dad walked in the house and he was like, ‘Wow. This is really about to happen.’” 

A total of 101 minutes and 11 picks later, CEEZ was mobbed by his entire family, screaming and celebrating his new home in Atlanta. 

With inevitable competition between the incoming first-round talent and a returning star in BP, ensuring healthy competitiveness was imperative for team chemistry. CEEZ believes the way that BP, who had led the team in scoring in 2020, stepped back and allowed him to take control of the offense at the point guard position was vital to his and Hawks Talon’s offensive success.

“When I first came in, BP knew I was a rookie and he wanted me to be comfortable and I appreciate him for that and for everything. He was a star caliber player, so him coming down for me was amazing. He made me feel comfortable. All the players made me feel comfortable,” said CEEZ. “They said, ‘We know you’re one of the best rookies in this draft, so just show out for us and we’ve got your back.’”

This type of sacrificial teamwork became extremely important early in the season, most namely in one particular Week 2 matchup against Heat Check Gaming. In that game, CEEZ was having a field day against the Heat Check defense, scoring with little resistance. Rather than calling for him to pass the ball around, BP and the rest of his teammates did nothing but encourage him as Hawks Talon rode CEEZ’s franchise single-game record 50-point performance to victory. 

“In the third quarter, I think I had 21 points. I hit my first three and I told my team, ‘Oh, he can’t guard me. I already know he can’t guard me.’ I started getting hot. I hit one three, then another three. Then, I hear LEE to my right. He’s like, ‘You’re killing it! Keep going! Keep going!’ So I scored, scored, scored, and scored,” CEEZ said. “At one point, I’m the type of player where I like to get other players involved and towards the end of the third quarter, I gave BP the ball and BP was like, ‘No. Here’s the ball back. Keep scoring… don’t give me the ball.’ I was like, ‘All right, my bad, I got you right now.’ So, I just keep scoring and scoring. Everybody in the circle is like, ‘Kill him! You’re killing him!’ and towards the fourth quarter, I see I have 45 points. I remember one point in time, there were three seconds left on the shot clock and I think it was FAKIEE inbounding the ball and I scream to LEE, ‘LEE! I’m about to get 50 points! Get me the ball!’ and he was like, ‘I got you!’ He threw the ball to me and I hit a buzzer-beater and I had 50 points. I think that was one of the best moments of the season so far.”

Though he is yet to top his 50-point game this season, high-scoring performances are all but guaranteed when the first rounder logs on. His 26.1 points per game are a team-best, the fourth highest among rookies, and twelfth-overall in the league.

If CEEZ continues to play at a high level, he will likely be considered for the 2021 NBA 2K League All-Rookie Team. For a player who was doubted by many going into his rookie season, such an award would serve as a strong exclamation point to a year that has already proven so many of those voices wrong.

“Getting an award would mean a lot to me because in life, I never used to get a lot of awards. It would just mean a lot because of all the rookies on the other teams that have had good seasons,” he said. “People have just been looking over me, people think I’m not that guy. I’m not ready for the big leagues. It would just show that this guy has proven himself in the 2K League. He just performed on high levels, people have seen him work, so he’s just proven a point to everybody in the 2K League.” 

Right now, though, CEEZ is solely focused on preparation for THE TICKET, an end-of-the-season tournament that admits its top performers, regardless of regular season record, to the NBA 2K League playoffs.

“Regardless of how successful I am in this league or in life, the chip on my shoulder is always going to be there because I always have goals in life,” he said. “My goal right now is just to prepare for THE TICKET, come out and try to get into the playoffs.” 

As he reflects on his young career, CEEZ believes his underdog mentality combined with his ability to chase his dream career with reckless abandon put him where he is today – from making chips to carrying one on his shoulder.

“It was crazy because I thought I was going to be a chip guy forever. … The 2K league literally pushed me and made me think of the future and of how big my brand can become as a person, too,” he said.

Hawks Talon Gaming