NBA 2K LEAGUE REVEALS 145 PLAYERS VYING FOR 52 SPOTS IN

2022 NBA 2K LEAGUE DRAFT

 

– Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai Have First Overall Pick;

Draft Pool Includes 18 International Players and Four Women –

 

NEW YORK, Feb. 26, 2022 – The NBA 2K League today announced the pool of 145 players who are eligible for the 2022 NBA 2K League Draft, which will be held virtually on Saturday, Feb. 26 at 6 p.m. ET and livestreamed on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels.  The Gen.G Tigers of Shanghai will have the first overall pick with Cavs Legion GC selecting second and Bucks Gaming picking third.  For the complete draft order, click here.

 

The pool of 145 draft-eligible players consists of:

• 77 players who earned eligibility through the NBA 2K League Draft Prospect Series;
• 43 unretained players from the 2021 season;
• 11 players who were identified by the NBA 2K League and its teams as high-performing players in the 2K community;
• five players from the APAC and European Invitationals;
• four players from the Sony Scouting Grounds tournaments;
• three players from the NBA 2K League’s Women in Gaming initiative; and
• two players from the 3v3 Draft-Eligible Tournament.

 

This year’s draft pool includes 18 international players from 11 countries and territories – Australia, Brazil, Canada, the Dominican Republic, France, Latvia, the Philippines, Poland, Puerto Rico, Spain and the U.K. – and four women.  Fans can visit the NBA 2K League YouTube channel to meet some of the members of this year’s class in the NBA 2K League original content series, “Draft Hopefuls.”

A complete list of draft-eligible players is available here*.

 

All 24 NBA 2K League teams, including DUX Infinitos, an expansion team representing Mexico City, will complete their five-person rosters during the three-round draft.  The five‑person teams will compete in both the league’s traditional 5v5 competition and the recently announced Coinbase NBA2KL 3v3 BLACKTOP SERIES.

 

Scott Cole and Autumn Johnson will return to host the 2022 NBA 2K League Draft from a new state-of-the-art digital studio in Atlanta that specializes in design and technical implementation of immersive environments for virtual and extended reality production.  The broadcast will feature NBA 2K League President Brendan Donohue announcing select picks and Jamie “DirK” Diaz-Ruiz and Harris “Sportstein” Rubenstein providing breaking news and analysis from OS Studios in New York City.  Joining from remote locations will be MADExINxINDIA covering the night from social media and sideline reporter Jasmine McKoy interviewing players after their selection.  New to the NBA 2K League broadcast talent lineup, Brandon “ToxsiK” Raudenbush will provide 2K and 3v3 expertise during the Draft broadcast and throughout the season.  The broadcast will also feature live look-ins with Draft prospects, select team “war rooms” and NBA 2K League operations headquarters, clips from “Draft Hopefuls”, and broadcast segments on the top 5 Draft moments, Draft day outfits and Draft steals as part of #NBA2KL5, the League’s celebration of its fifth anniversary season.

 

The top 12 draft picks and select additional players will be available to media via Zoom after their selection.  Media interested in attending Zoom availabilities with draftees must RSVP to Devon Garden (dgarden@nba.com) by Saturday, Feb. 26.

 

For more information, fans can follow the NBA 2K League on Twitter (NBA2KLeague), Instagram (nba2kleague), Facebook (NBA 2K League), TikTok (nba2kleague), Twitch (NBA2KLeague) and YouTube (NBA 2K League) and visit NBA2KLeague.com.

 

*Draft pool is subject to change

About the NBA 2K League
The NBA 2K League, a professional esports league co-founded by the NBA and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO), launched in 2018 and features 24 teams and the best NBA 2K players in the world.  NBA 2K League partners include Anheuser-Busch, AT&T, Champion Athleticwear, Coinbase, Dash Radio, eGG Network, Google, Loco, Mondelēz International, SAP, Snickers, Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sport1, Tencent, Wilson and YouTube.  For more information about the NBA 2K League, visit NBA2KLeague.com.

 

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Contact

Colleen Wagoner, NBA 2K League, 212-407-8098 or cwagoner@nba.com