Magic Gaming Acquires FantaSZN from Mavs Gaming in Exchange for ReturnOfDJ

ORLANDO – After a historic run in 2024 NBA 2K League 3v3 action, Magic Gaming hoped to carry that momentum into the start of their 5v5 campaign.

Although Orlando held the lead in the fourth quarter of five of their six TIPOFF contests – the first 5v5 tournament of the 2KL season – they emerged with only two victories and fell short of bracket play.

Eager to flip the script heading into THE TURN, Magic Gaming executed a trade on Tuesday afternoon, acquiring shooting guard Emmanuel “FantaSZN” Gosman from Mavs Gaming in exchange for shooting guard Darjean “ReturnOfDJ” Henderson.

“We saw the opportunity to get a player that we felt was really hungry and had a lot to prove coming from an environment that has a lot of structure and a defensive identity – things I felt that we were lacking,” said Magic Gaming general manager and head coach Jonah Edwards. “In an attempt to improve as we position ourselves through the end of the season, we saw Fanta as a guy that could potentially move us over the hurdle. In the TIPOFF tournament, we were winning with three minutes or less in five of our six games. We were right there. Bringing in a guy that we feel is an improvement can absolutely catapult us into a better position.”

Through six 5v5 contests in Dallas, FantaSZN is averaging 15.3 points, while shooting 50.8 percent from the floor and 48.1 percent from 3-point range.

While those numbers are certainly impressive, his biggest asset on the offensive end of the floor is his playmaking. The San Francisco native is averaging a lofty 8.0 assists per outing. Those numbers will be welcomed by an Orlando squad that is desperate to find additional offensive creation outside of All-Star point guard Joshua “unguardable” Hunter.

“I’m really looking forward to pairing him with Josh as a backcourt duo in a way that will provide Josh with his own opportunities,” said Edwards. “Fanta is a great playmaker from the shooting guard position. He is able to create for others, which we certainly were lacking. We had a lot of stagnation to our offense, and a lot of overreliance on Josh. I hope this brings Josh that relief with Fanta coming in, and maybe he can make plays and turn the tides of games that we haven’t been able to.”

FantaSZN won’t get too much time to assimilate to his new squad. Orlando has three TURN group play contests this week, beginning with Celtics Crossover Gaming on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET.

“We still have optimism in our room that we can do this thing,” said Edwards. “I’ve been telling the guys every day that the most important thing is that we believe that we can actually win. That’s where we are at this very moment. I hope this trend continues in the coming weeks, and we turn around at the end of the first week of THE TURN and we’re 3-0, and we’re in position where we can make it to bracket play and control our own destiny. That would be phenomenal. That’s the goal right now.”

After facing Raptors Uprising GC on Friday, Magic Gaming will close out the week by hosting their second in-person matchup in Orlando this season.

Magic Gaming will host Hawks Talon GC on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET at leAD Lake Nona at 7004 Tavistock Lakes Blvd. Admission to the game is free. Fans who arrive at 12:30 p.m. ET will also have the opportunity to participate in an open play session and take part in a special meet and greet. RSVP for the event here.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun on Saturday,” said Edwards. “We’re looking forward to Atlanta coming in, and hopefully we can get a victory. We’re looking to turn this thing around, and making sure we take care of home court on Saturday.”