NBA 2K League
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| Game | NBA 2K |
|---|---|
| Founded | February 9, 2017 New York City, New York, U.S.[1][2] |
| First season | 2018 |
| Owner(s) | NBA 2K League, LLC. (NBA (50%) Take-Two Interactive (50%) |
| CEO | Andrew Perlmutter[3] |
| Commissioner | Andrew Perlmutter |
| No. of teams | 25 |
| Countries | United States (21 teams) Canada (1 team) China (1 team) Mexico (1 team) Australia (1 team) |
| Headquarters | New York City, New York |
| Most recent champion(s) | Warriors Gaming Squad (5v5), DUX Infinitos (3v3) (2023) |
| Most titles | Wizards District Gaming (2 titles - 5v5), Pistons GT (1 title - 3v3) |
| TV partner(s) | |
| Official website | 2kleague |
The NBA 2K League (NBA 2KL or simply 2K League) is an esports league joint venture between the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Take-Two Interactive. The league was announced in 2017 with its inaugural season taking place in 2018.[2] There are 22 NBA teams that have teams, with a few independent teams also competing. The current champions are Warriors Gaming Squad (5v5, affiliate of the NBA's Golden State Warriors) and DUX Infinitos (3v3, affiliate of esports organization DUX Gaming).[4]
Broadcast partners
[edit]Games are live streamed on the NBA 2K League Twitch and YouTube channels.
On April 18, 2018, the NBA 2K League and Twitch announced a multiyear partnership to live stream all games.[5] The inaugural season began on May 1, 2018 and concluded on August 25, 2018 with Knicks Gaming (affiliated with the NBA's New York Knicks) winning the inaugural NBA 2K League championship. For season 2, the rights to live stream the league's games went to YouTube and Twitch.
NBA 2K and ESPN agreed to broadcast the games on ESPN2 and the ESPN App for the league's third season. The third season was planned to start on March 31, 2020, but the season was postponed to May 5, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was subsequently played fully remotely.[6] In the same year, the league agreed to a broadcast deal with Loco, a live streaming and esports platform in India, which was renewed in 2022.[7]
In 2022 Stadium, NBA TV and the league agreed to broadcast select playoff and championship games.
Format
[edit]The NBA 2K League plays on a custom version of the NBA 2K video game. Players compete as unique custom characters (not as avatars of NBA players) in 3-on-3 and 5-on-5 gameplay. No artificial intelligence is used; playing ability is strictly determined by skill.
As of 2023[update], the league season was composed of two game modes, beginning with the 3v3 season followed by the 5v5 season. Teams played in two tournaments per split—the Slam and the Switch in 3v3 and the Tipoff and the Turn in 5v5—to earn prize money and standings points toward playoff qualification, with the top 10 teams earning an automatic playoff bid. In 3v3, the 10 teams were determined regardless of conference, while in 5v5, five teams per conference earned qualification. Following the two tournaments, teams that did not qualify automatically for the playoffs competed in a last-chance tournament—the Steal in 3v3 and the Ticket in 5v5—with the two teams advancing to the finals of the last-chance tournament earning the final playoff berths, as well as additional prize money.[8]
In the 5v5 playoffs, the 12 teams competed in a single-elimination tournament comprising best-of-three series, split by conference, until the best-of-five NBA 2K League 5v5 Finals. In 3v3, the playoffs featured 14 teams, with the 12 NBA 2K League teams joined by two amateur teams (having qualified for the seasonal tournaments through amateur play-ins and qualifying for the 3v3 playoffs by performance in the 3v3 tournaments). The 3v3 playoffs featured a double-elimination format and best-of-five series until the best-of-seven NBA 2K League 3v3 Finals.
Since 2020, the league has utilized a hybrid remote/in-person model, with teams playing some games from their home market and some games in a central location. From 2018 to 2019, the league played its games in Long Island City. In 2020, the league was fully remote due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the league conducted play remotely until the playoffs, which took place in Dallas at the Mavs Gaming facility.[9] In 2022, in-person games were played in Indianapolis at the Pan-Am Pavilion.[10] In 2023, in-person games were played at District E in Washington D.C.[11]
Player selection, eligibility, and benefits
[edit]Players join the league by being drafted to an NBA 2K League team or added to a team roster as part of an add/waive roster process. In order to qualify for the league draft, players are required to be over the age of 18 and must have graduated from high school (or, if the player did not graduate, the class with which the player would have graduated must have graduated).[8] The league has historically assembled a draft pool, from which teams can select players, through qualification tournaments run by 2K League teams or competitions in the year's iteration of NBA 2K. Players in the draft pool also have the opportunity to participate in the NBA 2K League combine. Players are drafted into the league at the NBA 2K League Draft, which takes place before the season.
Players sign six-month contracts and have their relocation and housing costs covered by the league and teams, as well as benefits such as medical insurance and a retirement plan. Food, transportation, and housing is also be covered during the season when teams travel for games.[12]
During the six-month season, players drafted in the first round make a base salary of $35,000, while players drafted in subsequent rounds make $33,000. Players retained by teams following a season in the league earn $38,000. Players can also earn money through the league's $2.5 million prize pool, which is split across all tournaments and playoffs throughout the season, as well as seasonal individual awards. Players are also allowed to sign endorsement deals to earn extra income.[13]
History
[edit]The inaugural 2018 season lasted for 17 weeks, beginning with the tip-off tournament from May 1–5, with the first weekly matchups taking place on May 11–12. There were an additional two tournaments during the season before the playoffs began on August 17, concluding with the NBA 2K League Finals on August 25. All games were live-streamed on Twitch and available to view on demand after the live broadcasts.[5]
The league used Pro-Am mode for the games, which consisted of 5-on-5 matches where players used archetypes with preset skills instead of their own MyPlayer or NBA players to keep the ratings similar to everyone.[14][13]
A special build of the newest NBA 2K game is used for the league, with equipment provided by Alienware and Intel.[15] HyperX is the league's headset sponsor, while Scuf Gaming provides controllers for all matches.[16] To go along with the league sponsors, each team also has various sponsors and displays the logos of the sponsors on their in-game uniforms. All games are played at the NBA 2K League Studio in New York.[13]
In September 2020, the league designed a new draft system for the 2021 season.[17]
In August 2021, the league announced that in-person events would return to play during the 2021 playoffs, which was held August 26–28, 2021.[18][19] Also in August, the league announced its first all-star game that was played on September 25.[20][21]
In the 2022 season, the league added a distinct 3v3 season to alternate with the traditional 5v5 mode. Both modes saw the removal of regular season play in favor of tournaments a seed weeks to determine playoff standings.[22] In-person games took place in Indianapolis, Indiana at the Pan-Am Pavilion, with teams playing from their local markets and flying to Indianapolis for tournament bracket play and playoff games.[10] The league introduced amateur competition to the 3v3 season as well, enabling amateur teams to compete with NBA 2K League teams in group play and earn points toward two dedicated 3v3 playoff spots for amateur teams.[22] Pistons GT won the first-ever NBA 2K League 3v3 Finals, defeating Wizards District Gaming. Bucks Gaming won its first-ever 5v5 championship, also defeating Wizards District Gaming.
For the 2023 season, the league altered the format to separate the 3v3 and 5v5 splits, as well as extending the tournament group play process and removing the additional seed week games. Central market games were moved to District E.[11] The 3v3 split featured a new double-elimination format for tournament and playoff bracket playoff. DUX Infinitos claimed the 3v3 title for the first time in franchise history, defeating Pistons GT in a bracket reset finals. For 5v5, tournaments remained single elimination. Warriors Gaming Squad won the 5v5 championship over NBL Oz Gaming in a 3-1 best-of-five series.[23]
Following the 2023 season, the NBA announced that league president Brendan Donohue, who had overseen league operations since its inception, would step down from his position.[24] The league subsequently named Andrew Perlmutter as CEO.[25] On July 2, 2024, following the conclusion of the 2024 season, Perlmutter called all league players and staff in a 10-minute video call and announcing that he is firing everyone in a mass layoff. Subsequently, the league announced that it will go on hiatus for eighteen months while it undergoes a major overhaul amidst recent challenges in the esports industry as a whole. The overhaul will be more social-oriented, with an added focus on influencers and celebrities. The league's new reliance on "influencer culture" has been met with a negative response from fans.[26][27][28]
Teams
[edit]On December 11, 2017, the official logo for the NBA 2K League was revealed,[29] with the logos for each of the 17 teams being revealed over the course of the following days.[30][31][32] On August 15, 2018, it was announced that the league would expand to 21 teams in 2019 with the addition of teams from Atlanta, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Minnesota.[33] The league grew to 23 teams in 2020 with the additions of Charlotte[34] and Gen.G, the first team outside of North America.[35] The league expanded to Mexico in 2022 with the addition of Dux Gaming, who became the 24th team in the league.[36] The league expanded to Australia in 2023 with the introduction of NBL Oz Gaming, operated by Australia's National Basketball League, as the 25th team.[37]
| Team | NBA affiliate | Inaugural season | 3V3 Championships | 5V5 Championships |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 76ers GC | Philadelphia 76ers | 2018 | - | |
| Blazer5 Gaming | Portland Trail Blazers | 2018 | - | |
| Bucks Gaming | Milwaukee Bucks | 2018 | - | 1 (2022) |
| Cavs Legion GC | Cleveland Cavaliers | 2018 | - | |
| Celtics Crossover Gaming | Boston Celtics | 2018 | - | |
| DUX Infinitos | None | 2022 | 1 (2023) | - |
| Gen.G Tigers | None | 2020 | - | |
| Grizz Gaming | Memphis Grizzlies | 2018 | - | |
| Hawks Talon GC | Atlanta Hawks | 2019 | - | |
| Hornets Venom GT | Charlotte Hornets | 2020 | - | |
| Heat Check Gaming | Miami Heat | 2018 | - | |
| Jazz Gaming | Utah Jazz | 2018 | - | |
| Kings Guard Gaming | Sacramento Kings | 2018 | - | |
| Knicks Gaming | New York Knicks | 2018 | - | 1 (2018) |
| Lakers Gaming | Los Angeles Lakers | 2019 | - | |
| Magic Gaming | Orlando Magic | 2018 | - | |
| Mavs Gaming | Dallas Mavericks | 2018 | - | |
| NBL Oz Gaming | None | 2023 | - | |
| Nets GC | Brooklyn Nets | 2019 | - | |
| Pacers Gaming | Indiana Pacers | 2018 | - | |
| Pistons GT | Detroit Pistons | 2018 | 1 (2022) | - |
| Raptors Uprising GC | Toronto Raptors | 2018 | - | |
| T-Wolves Gaming | Minnesota Timberwolves | 2019 | - | 1 (2019) |
| Warriors Gaming Squad | Golden State Warriors | 2018 | - | 1 (2023) |
| Wizards District Gaming | Washington Wizards | 2018 | - | 2 (2020, 2021) |
References
[edit]- ^ "NBA and Take-Two to launch 'NBA 2K eLeague'". NBA.com. NBA Media Ventures, LLC. February 9, 2017. Retrieved April 6, 2018.
- ^ a b "17 NBA teams to take part in inaugural NBA 2K esports league in 2018". National Basketball Association. May 4, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
- ^ Hitt, Kevin (September 28, 2023). "NBA 2K League taps Perlmutter for new CEO role". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved September 29, 2023.
- ^ "League Info". NBA 2K League. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
- ^ a b "NBA 2K League to Tip Off Inaugural Season on Twitch". NBA 2K League. April 18, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2018.
- ^ Lawler, Richard (March 13, 2020). "The NBA's esports league postpones 2020 season due to coronavirus". Engadget. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
- ^ Nicholson, Jonno (April 19, 2022). "Indian streaming platform Loco retains NBA 2K League broadcasting rights". Esports Insider. Retrieved January 10, 2024.
- ^ a b "Frequently Asked Questions". NBA 2K League. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
- ^ Rader, Doyle. "NBA 2K League Returns To In-Person Gameplay For Playoffs In Dallas". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
- ^ a b "INDIANAPOLIS TO HOST NBA 2K LEAGUE'S FIFTH ANNIVERSARY SEASON BEGINNING MARCH 23". NBA 2K League. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
- ^ a b "DISTRICT E |". District E Powered By Ticketmaster. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
- ^ "$1 Million Prize Pool for Inaugural NBA 2K League Season". NBA 2K League. Retrieved April 5, 2018.
- ^ a b c Kennedy, Alex (April 4, 2018). "FAQ: Everything you need to know about the new NBA 2K League". HoopsHype. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- ^ Mazique, Brian (December 5, 2017). "NBA 2K League: How To Qualify, Salary Info, Draft Process, Twitter Account, Rules And More". Forbes. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
- ^ Sarkar, Samit (April 3, 2018). "NBA 2K League games to be played on PC, not PS4 or Xbox One". Polygon. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
- ^ Mitrevski, Lydia (May 1, 2018). "Scuf Gaming becomes official controller of NBA 2K League". Esports Insider. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
- ^ "NBA 2KL Draft Prospect Series". NBA 2K League. Retrieved 2020-11-07.
- ^ "THE TICKET POWERED BY AT&T FACT SHEET". NBA 2K League. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
- ^ "NBA 2K League Returns To In-Person Games With 2021 NBA 2K League Playoffs Delivered With DoorDash". NBA 2K League. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
- ^ "NBA 2K League Returns To In-Person Games With 2021 NBA 2K League Playoffs Delivered With DoorDash". NBA 2K League. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
- ^ "NBA 2K LEAGUE TO HOST INAUGURAL ALL-STAR GAME". NBA 2K League. Retrieved 2021-08-14.
- ^ a b Scribner, Herb (April 4, 2022). "The NBA 2K League is changing for you". DesertNews. Retrieved April 10, 2022.
- ^ "Warriors Gaming Squad Wins 2023 NBA 2K League 5v5 Championship". Warriors GS. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
- ^ "Brendan Donohue to step down as NBA 2K League president". NBA.com. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
- ^ "NBA 2K LEAGUE NAMES ANDREW PERLMUTTER AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER". NBA 2K League. Retrieved 2024-01-11.
- ^ "NBA 2K League Is Dead, Replaced By Influencer Content". Esports Illustrated On SI. 2024-07-02. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ Ojeda, Julian (2024-07-03). "NBA And Take-Two's Bold New Vision For NBA 2K League". ClutchPoints. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ "Ronnie 2K 'excited' for rebirth of NBA 2K League with revamped competition the next evolution of Esports | Sporting News". Sporting News. 2024-08-29. Retrieved 2024-10-02.
- ^ "NBA 2K League Unveils Logo". NBA 2K League. December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
- ^ "Team Logos Revealed: Part I". 2KLeague.NBA.com. NBA 2K League, LLC. December 12, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
- ^ "Team Logos Revealed: Part II". 2KLeague.NBA.com. NBA 2K League, LLC. December 13, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
- ^ "Team Logos Revealed: Part III". 2KLeague.NBA.com. NBA 2K League, LLC. December 14, 2017. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
- ^ "NBA 2K League Announces Four Expansion Teams for 2019 Season". NBA 2K League. August 15, 2018. Retrieved August 15, 2018.
- ^ "Hornets Sports & Entertainment Announces New NBA 2K League Team Will Be Known As Hornets Venom GT". NBA 2K League. June 27, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
- ^ "NBA 2K League Announces Gen.G to Launch Shanghai Team". NBA 2K League. September 26, 2019. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
- ^ "NBA 2K League Expands To Mexico And Adds 24th Team In Partnership With Dux Gaming". NBA 2K League. September 29, 2021. Retrieved April 9, 2022.
- ^ "NBL Launches NBA 2K League Team". NBL. 7 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
