NBA 2K tournament starts Friday with Kevin Durant, Trae Young and more
Confirming (April 04, 2020)’s leak, the NBA announced an esports tournament that will kick off this Friday, with games broadcast on ESPN and ESPN2. The NBA 2K Players Tournament will pit 16 current NBA players against one another, with finals scheduled to take place April 11th and air on ESPN. The winner will select a charity beneficiary to receive $100,000 in support of coronavirus relief efforts.
Players only ?? 16 NBA players will compete head to head in the NBA 2K Players Tournament. First Round starts this Friday on ESPN
Tweet #NBA2KTourney to tell us who you got as the best 2K player https://t.co/vGw6TgbqB8
— NBA 2K20 (@NBA2K) March 31, 2020
The NBA and the NBA Player’s Association announced the tournament participants and seeding (set by in-game player rating and league tenure):
1. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets (96)
2. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks (90)
3. Hassan Whiteside, Portland Trail Blazers (87)
4. Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz (87)
5. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns (86)
6. Andre Drummond, Cleveland Cavaliers (85)
7. Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls (85)
8. Montrezl Harrell, LA Clippers (85)
9. Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers (85)
10. Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns (85)
11. DeMarcus Cousins (81)
12. Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets (81)
13. Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards (79)
14. Patrick Beverley, LA Clippers (78)
15. Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings (78)
16. Derrick Jones Jr., Miami Heat (78)ROUND 1
Friday, April 3: ESPN
• 7-7:30 p.m. ET: NBA 2K Players Tournament Preview Show
• 7:30-8:30 p.m. ET: Derrick Jones Jr. (16) vs. Kevin Durant (1)Friday, April 3: ESPN2, 8:30-11:30 p.m. ET
Sunday, April 5: ESPN2, 12-4 p.m. ET
Quarterfinals
Tuesday, April 7: ESPN2, 7-11 p.m. ET
Semifinals & Finals
Saturday, April 11: ESPN, Timing to be announced.
Every game will be broadcast on ESPN or ESPN2, as well as via NBA.com, Twitter, Twitch, Facebook and YouTube. The announced player list includes a former MVP in Durant, as well as 2019 All-Stars including Donovan Mitchell, Trae Young and Devin Booker, and the reigning Slam Dunk contest champion Derrick Jones Jr. Operation Sports points out the rules, which will have each player choosing eight teams they can use before prior to the start of the tournament and they can only use each team once. The first two rounds will be single elimination, while the finals and semifinals will be best of three.
Before the Players Tournament starts, however, a “Three For All” showdown is under way that features 2K League esports players along with NBA, G-League and WNBA players. You can watch the live stream below.
1 hour to go!! ??
Stream the NBA 2KL Three For All Showdown pro bracket LIVE on @Twitch and @YouTube at 8 pm/et!
?? https://t.co/6dc8AW2dsp
?? https://t.co/Hc0jrO51Jj pic.twitter.com/Yh2rL5D4zu— NBA 2KL Three for All Showdown (@NBA2KLeague) March 31, 2020
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