League Info - NBA 2K League

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League Info

 

 NBA 2K LEAGUE FACT SHEET

 NBA 2K League Overview

  • The NBA 2K League, a joint venture between the NBA and Take-Two Interactive, is a professional esports league featuring the best NBA 2K players in the world and is the first official esports league operated by a U.S. professional sports league.
  • The NBA 2K League tipped off its inaugural season in May 2018 with 17 teams, each affiliated with an NBA team. Since then, the league has expanded to 25 teams, 22 of which are affiliated with NBA teams. The Gen.G Tigers, DUX Infinitos and the recently announced NBL Oz Gaming are the only NBA 2K League teams not affiliated with an NBA team.
  • Teams compete in both 3 vs. 3 and 5 vs. 5 gameplay using unique characters (not existing NBA players).
  • The 25 NBA 2K League teams are: 76ers GC, Blazer5 Gaming, Bucks Gaming, Celtics Crossover Gaming, Cavs Legion GC, DUX Infinitos, the Gen.G Tigers, Grizz Gaming, Hawks Talon GC, Heat Check Gaming, Hornets Venom GT, Jazz Gaming, Kings Guard Gaming, Knicks Gaming, Lakers Gaming, Magic Gaming, Mavs Gaming, NBL Oz Gaming, Nets GC, Pacers Gaming, Pistons GT, Raptors Uprising GC, T-Wolves Gaming, Warriors Gaming Squad, and Wizards District Gaming.
  • 2022 NBA 2K League Champions – Bucks Gaming (5v5), Pistons GT (3v3)
  • 2021 NBA 2K League Champion – Wizards District Gaming
  • 2020 NBA 2K League Champion – Wizards District Gaming
  • 2019 NBA 2K League Champion – T-Wolves Gaming
  • 2018 NBA 2K League Champion – Knicks Gaming
  • NBA 2K League President Brendan Donohue oversees all league operations.

2023 Season

  • The 2023 season began on March 8 and features both remote and in-person games. In-person competitions are played at District E in downtown Washington, D.C. in partnership with Monumental Sports & Entertainment
  • The NBA 2K League 2023 season structure features:
  • a tournament-centric season structure split into two halves – 3v3 and 5v5;
    • Coinbase NBA 2KL 3v3 BLACKTOP SERIES – SLAM OPEN, SWITCH OPEN, STEAL OPEN
    • THE BANNER CHAIN SERIES Powered by AT&T – THE TIPOFF, THE TURN, THE TICKET;
  • a $2.5 million total cash prize pool; and
  • amateur teams vs. NBA 2K League teams (in the Coinbase NBA 2KL 3v3 BLACKTOP SERIES).
  • SLAM OPEN Champion – Pistons GT
  • SWITCH OPEN Champion – DUX Infinitos
  • STEAL OPEN Champion – Blazer5 Gaming
  • NBA 2K League 3v3 Champion – DUX Infinitos

2023 NBA 2K League Draft

  • The 2023 NBA 2K League Draft was livestreamed from New York City at Co-Exist Gaming on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 8 p.m. ET, and aired on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
  • The invite-only Draft party featured VIP guests, including select draft prospects, returning NBA 2K League players, social media influencers and celebrities.
  • With the first overall pick, Hawks Talon GC selected MarkDavis “MDS” Smith of Chicago.
  • Debuting this past offseason, the NBA 2K League Become a Pro Series saw incredible interest with a record-setting 101,000 tryouts from 126 countries.
  • The draft pool consisted of 200 prospects, including unretained players, players who earned draft eligibility as part of the NBA 2K League Draft Prospect Series, select competitors from the NBA 2K League’s APAC, Australian and European Invitationals, and high-performing players in the 2K community as determined by league and team officials.

 Highlights

  • Since the start of the 2022 season, the NBA 2K League has added over 113K followers across its social channels (Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook.)
  • NBA 2K League content has generated more than 691 million video views across all NBA and NBA 2K League social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Twitch and YouTube).
  • The NBA 2K League and its teams have more than 2M combined followers on social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram)
  • NBA 2K League partners include Anheuser-Busch, AT&T, Champion Athleticwear, Coinbase, Dash Radio, Google, Loco, Mondelēz International, SAP, Snickers, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sport1, SPS, Wilson and YouTube.

About NBA 2K

  • NBA 2K series has sold in nearly 118 million units worldwide
  • NBA 2K21 has sold-in more than 11 million units
  • NBA 2K22 has sold-in more than 8 million units
  • NBA 2K Online Franchise (NBA 2K Online & NBA 2K Online 2) in China remains the #1 PC online sports game in China with nearly 55.7 million registered users

About Esports

  • The global esports audience will reach 532 million this year and will generate revenues of $1.38 billion (+14.5% year-over-year; Source: Newzoo, 2022).
  • A number of NBA teams, owners and former players are already looking to the future of the esports industry, investing in esports franchises/holding companies.

Partners