TICKET TO THE BIG DANCE: THE TICKET powered by AT&T, the NBA 2K League’s third and final in-season tournament, begins tonight and runs through Saturday, August 15. All matches will air live from 5-11 p.m. ET on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch channel. ESPN 2 will air matches live tonight from 7-11 p.m. ET and Saturday from 5-11 p.m. ET, including THE TICKET Finals . Select matches will air live on ESPN’s digital platforms and the NBA 2K League’s YouTube channel, and on delay on eGG Network in Southeast Asia. Dash Radio’s Nothin’ But Net channel will also provide live coverage of the tournament. New this season, the 14 teams that are not one of the top nine playoff seeds will compete in THE TICKET, which will see the winning team earn the 10th and final spot in the 2020 NBA 2K League Playoffs in lieu of prize money. T-Wolves Gaming, who finished the regular season in 10th place, has automatically advanced to THE TICKET Finals. The 13 remaining teams will compete to become the second participant. Click here for additional tournament information and here for THE TICKET schedule.

THERE’S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN: Celtics Crossover Gaming point guard Sheriff “FT” Cruz was named NBA 2K League Player of the Week for Week 12 of the regular season. The Bronx, N.Y.-native averaged 36.3 points and 5.3 assists on 58 percent shooting in a win against Hawks Talon GC. Cruz and Celtics Crossover Gaming enter THE TICKET as the No. 19 seed and will visit Heat Check Gaming tonight at 8 p.m. ET.

WOLVES ON THE HUNT: 2019 NBA 2K League Champions T-Wolves Gaming finished the regular season in 10th place and as a result has automatically advanced to THE TICKET Finals on Aug. 15 at 8 p.m. ET, when the team will continue its title defense in hopes of reaching the Playoffs. The 2020 NBA 2K League Playoffs tip off Thursday, August 20 and will culminate with the 2020 NBA 2K League Finals on Saturday, August 29. ESPN2 will air Playoff games live Friday, Aug. 21 from 6-11 p.m. ET and Saturday, Aug. 22 from 3-5 p.m. ET. Stay tuned for more information on the 2020 Playoffs.

THE WINNER IS…: The NBA 2K League will present 10 major awards that honor top performers from the 2020 season. The NBA 2K League Awards are as follows: (1) Most Valuable Player, (2) Defensive Player of the Year, (3) Sportsmanship Award, (4) Rookie of the Year, (5) Coach of the Year, (6) Fan Engagement Award, (7) Play of the Year, (8) 2020 All-NBA 2K League First and Second Team, (9) NBA 2K League All-Defensive Team, and (10) NBA 2K League All-Rookie Team. Award nominees and winners will be decided by players, team managers, coaches, media, on-air talent, fans and/or NBA 2K League officials. Award winners will be announced on the broadcast beginning Saturday, August 22 and culminating Saturday, August 29 in a special pre-show for the 2020 NBA 2K League Finals . The five finalists for Most Valuable Player will be announced on the broadcast tonight at 5:15 p.m. ET.

THIS IS NOT A GAME – LANG WHITAKER: Prior to joining the NBA 2K League, Grizz Gaming General Manager and Head Coach Lang Whitaker
was an acclaimed sports journalist. Whitaker’s work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Billboard, GQ, on the NBA’s digital platforms, and more. The leader of Grizz Gaming also published a critically acclaimed memoir “In The Time Of Bobby Cox: The Atlanta Braves, Their Manager, My Couch, Two Decades and Me.” A cooking enthusiast, he also launched a cooking series “Cooking With Lang,” which has garnered more than 1 million views on Facebook. Grizz Gaming enters THE TICKET as the No. 14 seed and will host Lakers Gaming tonight at 5 p.m. ET.