The NBA 2K League Combine, the next stage of qualifying for the league, will take place from November 18 – December 9.
Requirements | Structure | Playing Windows | Draft Pool | Evaluation Process | Archetypes | FAQs | Life in NBA 2K League
Requirements:
- All players who have at least 50 wins (50% win percentage) from Qualifier and filled out the application will see a mode called “NBA 2K League Combine” automatically populate on their NBA 2K main menu a few days before 11/18.
- Within the main landing page of NBA 2K League Combine mode, players will be able to see a schedule of all the open event windows, how many games they have played and past game performances/replays.
- Players may play any position but will need to complete 40 games minimum in at least one position during the combine to be draftable.
- Adjustments for international are as follows: 20 for APAC, 20 for EU.
- The combine will consist of 5-on-5 gameplay, with each participant competing with, and against, nine other qualifiers in full games.
- Each game will consist of 6-minute quarters, with standard Pro-Am Team Arena rules.
- Each play window will be at least 4 hours long, with weekend slots being longer to accommodate international-friendly times.
- Gameplay is limited to those game windows in order to concentrate gamers and increase matchmaking.
Playing Windows (UPDATED on Wednesday, Nov. 27th):
All official playing windows are listed below (all times are Eastern Standard Time)
NOTE: While players can play during any time window, we highly encourage players to compete during their region’s time window for the best matchmaking experience.
Monday, November 18th – Monday, December 9th
Mondays
6pm-12am ET (NA)
Tuesdays
4am-8am ET (APAC)
2pm-6pm ET (EU)
Wednesdays
8pm-12am ET (NA)
Thursdays
4am-8am ET (APAC)
2pm-6pm ET (EU)
Fridays
8pm-12am ET (NA)
Saturdays
3am-8am ET (APAC)
2pm-8pm ET (NA/EU)
Sundays
3am-7am ET (APAC)
2pm-6pm ET (NA/EU)
Updated Combine windows as of 11/27
Friday, November 29th:
5am-8am (APAC), 8pm-2am (NA)
Saturday, November 30th:
4am-10am (APAC), 2pm-8pm (NA/EU)
Wednesday, December 4th:
6pm-12am (NA)
Friday, December 6th:
5am-8am (APAC), 8pm-2am (NA)
Saturday, December 7th:
4am-10am (APAC), 2pm-8pm (NA/EU)
Monday, December 9th:
4am-8am (APAC), 12pm-12am (NA/EU)
There has never been a better time to try out for the NBA 2K League! The Season 3 Qualifier was held from October 22nd through November 10th (and reopened from November 14th through November 15th).
Players from across the world competed in qualifying 2K20 games on Xbox and PS4. Those who met the Combine requirements (included winning at least 50 games with at least a 50% win rate), can now participate in Combine games during the November 18th through December 9th time period for a chance to be included in the 2020 NBA 2K League Draft pool.
The league will be identifying a pool of new players from the Combine who will be eligible for the 2020 draft. Accompanying this group will be players who earned their draft-eligible status by successfully competing in one of the offseason’s Pro-Am tournaments hosted by 11 of our teams, playing in the 2019 European Invitational and other international opportunities. These new players will join draft-eligible players who competed in Season 2 of the league but were not retained or protected by their teams (those players must meet the Combine requirements to be eligible).
All 23 teams have retained or acquired at least one member of their team, and will draft the remainder of their roster from the pool of draft-eligible players in February. Check back on NBA2KLeague.com to stay on the lookout for news about the 2020 NBA 2K League Draft.
Official dates for the Evaluation Process is below:
- November 18th – December 9th: Quantitative evaluation
- December 16th: Top players identified
- December 18th – January 7th: Interviews conducted
- Week of January 13th: Conditionals offers made to the top 150 players
Quantitative Evaluation
All combine statistics and basketball/2K IQ tests from the application players completed during the Qualifier will be evaluated and used to narrow the prospective player pool.
Top Players
Players who advance will be notified via an email from the NBA 2K League.
Interviews
All prospective players need to complete a 30-minute video interview with a league representative.
Selection Committee
A committee comprised of NBA 2K League, NBA and 2K representatives will evaluate all players who make it to the interview stage. To evaluate each player, each committee member will individually rate all players based on their results from three categories: Combine statistics, interviews and application. The committee will then meet to discuss their scores for each prospective player from the Qualifier and Combine and finalize the 150 players who will be eligible for the 2020 NBA 2K League Draft.
Conditional Offers
Players will be contacted by an NBA 2K League representative via email if they have made the draft pool. All players who receive a conditional offer must pass a background check and social media check to confirm their draft eligibility. For any players who do not pass a background check and social media check, the NBA 2K League will make a conditional offer to the next player in the final ranking at the same position.
What Happens After the Draft?
Drafted players will be contacted by their respective team and will relocate to their team market before the season begins.
Each archetype at each position has different build characteristics (height, weight, wingspan, etc).
Point Guard
- Slasher, 6’4″ 190 lbs
- Scoring Machine, 6’3″ 170 lbs
- Slashing Playmaker, 6’3″ 185 lbs
- 3-Level Scorer, 6’3″, 170 lbs
- Offensive Threat, 6’2″ 180 lbs
- 2-Way Sharpshooter, 6’4″ 195 lbs
- Slashing Playmaker, 6’4″ 190 lbs
- 2-Way Slashing Playmaker, 6’4″ 195 lbs
Shooting Guard
- Slasher, 6’5″ 195 lbs
- Scoring Machine, 6’5″ 195 lbs
- Slashing Playmaker, 6’5″ 205 lbs
- 2-Way Finisher, 6’6″ 215 lbs
- 3-Level Scorer, 6’4″ 180 lbs
- Offensive Threat, 6’5″ 185 lbs
- 2-Way Sharpshooter, 6’6″ 200 lbs
- 2-Way Finisher, 6’6″ 220 lbs
Small Forward
- Slasher, 6’7″ 210 lbs
- Slasher, 6’7″ 200 lbs
- Facilitating Finisher, 6’7″ 205 lbs
- Finisher, 6’8″ 225 lbs
- 3-Level Scorer, 6’7″ 200 lbs
- Offensive Threat, 6’6″ 195 lbs
- 2-Way Sharpshooter, 6’8″ 220 lbs
- 2-Way Finisher, 6’8″ 230 lbs
Power Forward
- Interior Finisher, 6’10” 245 lbs
- 3-Level Scorer, 6’9″ 220 lbs
- Post Playmaker, 6’10” 245 lbs
- Paint Beast, 6’9″ 250 lbs
- 3-Level Playmaker, 6’8″ 220 lbs
- Glass Cleaner, 6’9″ 235 lbs
- Post Playmaker, 6’10” 240 lbs
- Paint Beast, 6’9″ 250 lbs
Center
- Interior Force, 7’0″ 260 lbs
- 3-Level Scorer, 6’11” 245 lbs
- Interior Finisher, 7’1″ 270 lbs
- Glass-Cleaning Lockdown, 7’0″ 250 lbs
- Mid-Range Finisher, 6’11” 250 lbs
- Glass-Cleaning Lockdown, 7’0″ 265 lbs
- Post Playmaker, 7’1″ 270 lbs
- Glass-Cleaning Lockdown, 7’1″ 265 lbs
- Who can I contact if I am having technical issues?
- Please contact NBA 2K support: https://support.2k.com/hc/en-us/sections/360004705194-NBA-2K20
- Can I change my archetype between games?
- Yes
- How long is each game?
- Six-minute quarters. Three-minute overtimes.
- Can I use my MyPlayer during Combine?
- No, all players will compete using one of the five available archetypes within each position, which are of equal skill level (92 rating).
- Can I foul out?
- Yes, after six fouls. The “technical foul upon getting 6 fouls or more” rule is an NBA 2K League competition build-specific rule.
- If you drop a game, does it count against you?
- Drops are recorded and taken into consideration during the evaluation process.
- If you lag out of a game, does it count as a loss?
- It will count as a “drop.”
- What is the housing situation if I make the league?
- Teams determine the housing solution for their own players, while following league guidelines.
- Do I have to graduate high school by a certain date?
- Yes, your high school class must have graduated by October 22, 2019.
- I received a notification that my audio submission has not been heard. Do I need to resubmit my submission?
- Performance throughout the entire NBA 2K League qualification and selection process affects decisions regarding draft eligibility, and therefore not all audio submissions will be reviewed as a final data piece when narrowing to the top 150 players..
Lets Get It Ramo (Ramo Radoncic, Power Forward, Pistons GT)
- What is it like being an NBA 2K League player?
I’m getting paid to play a game I love, so to answer your question it’s the best job in the world!!
- What does an average day consist of during the season?
Weekdays are when you are practicing by scrimmaging other teams for your next opponent and watching as much tape as possible on them and yourselves, and the best is the weekends when you fly to the best city in the world, NYC! That’s where the studio is located to play NBA 2K League games, and let me tell you, the atmosphere in there is crazy. A whole bunch of excitement and trash talk – my favorite, haha.
- What is your favorite part of being in the league?
The fans for sure. I mean all the support I had throughout the season was insane. It’s a very surreal feeling when a little kid asks you to sign his shoes. I felt bad because my handwriting was bad but that kid was happy, haha. That’s just one of many examples I can go all day
- What advice would you give to prospective players?
Put in the work and if you’re good enough, you will be one of the players for one of these 21 teams in the NBA 2K League. And trust me when I tell you, if you love 2K and you are competitive like me, this is where you want to be!! Get your 100 wins for the month of November and ball out in the Combine, which is the only thing that matters. So don’t come into the games trying to score 50 a game shooting 50 shots. Come into the Combine and play your game, be a great teammate and try to win every game while trying to showcase your skills
- What was the transition like becoming a professional athlete?
You are in a different type of light now. There are eyes everywhere and people who look up to you now, so if you want to be a professional you must act like a one. Clean up your social media accounts for starters. I see so many 2K league prospects posting the wrong things and it’s a very bad look at times.
Another thing is I hope everybody is comfortable leaving their family and friends for the next six months. It was hard for me at first because I’ve never been apart from them ever, and to live with complete strangers I didn’t know what to expect. But thankfully I had some great teammates/roommates with good hygiene, haha.
G O O F Y 7 5 7 (Dayvon Curry, Center, Grizz Gaming)
- What advice do you have for prospects going through the Combine for the first time?
One: Go out there and be a great teammate first. Two: Just go out there and play your game. Don’t go out there trying to be like Kobe Bryant and chuck up 80 shots. Get yourself involved and get your teammates involved. Do the little things. Get rebounds, steals, help your teammates out, make call-outs, stuff like that.
Type (Xavier Vescovi, Center, Hornets Venom GT)
- What advice do you have for prospects going through the Combine for the first time?
For PGs or anybody who’s actually headed to the Combine this year, it’s all about communication, especially with players you don’t know. You’ll be playing with a lot of players you’ve never talked to before. Everyone will pick builds that might not help your archetype. If everyone picks a flashy build, you still have to work with it and communicate. Find ways to get buckets, but you also gotta play defense. The number one thing is just stay positive throughout the whole Combine. You can have a terrible first half of your 30 games and then the next 30 games you play you’ll play your best. So, staying positive and having the right mindset going into it the Combine is the right thing to do, for sure.
Mama Im Dat Man (Nidal Nasser, Point Guard, Blazer5 Gaming)
- What advice do you have for prospects going through the Combine for the first time?
My mindset when it came to the combine, even though it’s a little bit selfish, but look to perform and look to show out. At the end of the day, if you can play the game as good as you want and if you win that’s great, but if you don’t put up numbers and don’t show any of those analytical stats, then you’re not going to get that shot. You have to go out there and perform. So for me personally, every time I touch the ball, I try to make a play. I try to make something positive happen for my team. Don’t think too much about not doing the small things, focus on what you’re good at, attack it, win games, and continue to play. You can’t be too selfish, but you can’t be too unselfish at the same time, you’ve got to find that medium. Go out and get your stats and you’ll be fine, I believe.
Radiant (Ethan White, Point Guard, 76ers GC)
- What advice do you have for prospects going through the Combine for the first time?
What I tell my IRL friends about the combine, it’s not going to be easy or fun, but I tell them that we all had to go through it. If you go through a couple of bad games, don’t let that ruin your vibe or who you’re trying to be. Go out there, play your game, and play how you play. If you do what you have to do, things should be good for you. Some guys will play a couple games and they’ll get bad draws on teammates and then just stop playing. I wouldn’t recommend that, just give it your all, the worst thing the league can say is no.
Steez (Alexander Bernstein, Center, 76ers GC)
- What advice do you have for prospects going through the Combine for the first time?
I usually tell people to control what they can control. You’re not going to be able to help if you get bad teammates who don’t want to play as a team. You can’t control if you go up against an all-star team at the combine or something like that or how much you get the ball if you’re not playing PG. You can’t control if you PG passes to you. All you can control is if you have the opportunity to make a play, make that play and let the rest of the chips fall as they may. Keep a good head on your shoulders and realize what the big picture is.
NateKahl (Nate Kahl, Small Forward, Pacers Gaming)
- What is it like being an NBA 2K League player?
It’s an unbelievable feeling being a player in the league. To be able to do something that I’ve been doing for my whole life without a clear path and now call myself a professional is what resonates most with me.
- What does an average day consist of during the season?
I’m sure an average day will vary depending on the team, but it my case it was usually a pretty packed schedule. Every day was unique but an average day consisted of waking up by around 9, either starting with 3v3 scrims or 5v5 scrims against other teams, then a film session after lunch (sometimes this was reversed). On some days there would be event showings that we would do that might deal with sponsorships, or events that dealt with the ambassador portion of the league and help growing it and our team collectively. Finally there was always enough time for “us” or “me” time later in the evening/night.
- What is your favorite part of being in the league?
Aside from obviously having a job that I look forward to every day and the people that I’m around, I would say actually competing on the stage is the best part. You get a feeling before games that not many other things can bring to a person. Plus, when the game plan works out and you’re able to come away victorious, there’s no better feeling.
- What advice would you give to prospective players entering the Combine for the first time?
Prioritize your winning percentage first and foremost. If you don’t win, you’re not going to get placed in the draft pool, point blank. Number 2, try to be efficient. You don’t want to take a ton of terrible shots that don’t fall. You want your field goal percentage to be high like your three point percentage, depending on which position you play. What I also found helpful too was having good comms while you played. You don’t want to make your team give you the ball for you to make shots. If you’re not good on the mic, people will not want to play with you and entertain anything you’re doing on the court. So, win, be efficient, and have good comms. You’ll have success if you can manage those three pointers.
- What was the transition like becoming a professional athlete?
It’s been a pretty neat transition, a lot more than I thought it would be. I feel like it teaches you life lessons and turns you in to a more complete person than you were before you started the process.
