League Info - NBA 2K League

 

NBA 2K LEAGUE – AT A GLANCE

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 of Shanghai and the recently announced DUX Infinitos 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 24 NBA 2K League teams are: 76ers GC, Blazer5 Gaming, Bucks Gaming, Celtics Crossover Gaming, Cavs Legion GC, DUX Infinitos, the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai, 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.

 

2022 Season

  • The NBA 2K League made significant changes and debuted brand-new features for its fifth season in 2022, including:
  • a tournament-centric season structure;
  • new Coinbase NBA 2KL 3v3 BLACKTOP SERIES – SLAM OPEN, SWITCH OPEN, STEAL OPEN, ;
  • a $2.5 million total cash prize pool; and
  • amateur teams vs. NBA 2K League teams (in the Coinbase NBA 2KL 3v3 BLACKTOP SERIES).
  • The 2022 season featured both remote and in-person games. In-person competitions during the 2022 season were played in downtown Indianapolis at The Pavilion at Pan Am.
  • THE TIPOFF powered by AT&T Champion – T-Wolves Gaming
  • Coinbase NBA2KL 3v3 SLAM OPEN Champion – Wizards District Gaming
  • THE TURN powered by AT&T Champion – 76ers GC
  • Coinbase NBA2KL 3v3 SWITCH OPEN Champion – Pacers Gaming
  • THE TICKET Champion – Mavs Gaming
  • Coinbase NBA2KL 3v3 STEAL OPEN Champion – Magic Gaming

 

2022 NBA 2K League Draft

  • The 2022 NBA 2K League Draft was held virtually on Saturday, Feb. 26 and livestreamed on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels.
  • During the three-round draft, the 24 NBA 2K League teams selected 52 players to complete their five-person rosters ahead of the league’s fifth anniversary season.
  • With the No. 1 overall pick, the Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai selected Jaiden “OTTR” Frank of DeSoto, Texas.
  • The 2022 draft pool consisted of 145 players.
  • In addition to unretained players from last season, the draft pool also included top performing players who earned draft eligibility as part of the “NBA 2K League Draft Prospect Series,” Sony Scouting Grounds tournaments, the NBA 2K League’s Women in Gaming initiative, or the NBA 2K League’s APAC and European Invitationals, or by being identified by the NBA 2K League and its teams based on their play in the 2K community.

 

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.