The NBA 2K League has been one of the many esports organizations that were hosting in-person events that fans could buy tickets to, go to an arena, and watch their favorite teams compete against one another. Unfortunately for them, and many others, they were forced to suspend those in-person events. However, this didn’t mean the end of the 2K League itself. The league moved to an online-only format and even had some matches shown on ESPN2. So while the rest of sports stopped for a bit the 2K League was one of the few that kept going.
As everyone is looking forward to moving back into a sense of normalcy we’re starting to see the return of in-person esports events too. On Monday, 2K League announced that the upcoming playoffs will be taking place at the Mavs Gaming Hub in Dallas, Texas. Not only that, but fans will be able to purchase tickets and attend these playoffs. For those who are choosing to not attend in person, they can still watch the playoffs through live streams on Twitch or YouTube. The playoffs will begin on Thursday, August 26.
Like a traditional sporting event, there needs to be a hook to convince fans to come attend in person instead of choosing to watch on a live stream and the 2K League’s big hook is going to be a unique stage set up. Fans can watch two matches taking place at the same time on two separate stages. The broadcast itself will switch between the two games taking place to try and grab key moments as they happen.
“The NBA 2K League live studio experience and stage is unlike anything in esports, with an electric energy and passion that is palpable. Add the high-stakes of the Playoffs and we have the perfect storm that our fans have been waiting to see for two years.” said NBA 2K League President Brendan Donohue. “We are thrilled to be able to bring together the league’s top teams to safely crown a champion and share this excitement with our fans watching around the world.”
Over $1 million is on the line here for the teams competing with the champion of the league winning a $450,000 prize pool. The remaining $630,000 will be distributed among the teams that qualify for the 2021 Playoffs (second place – $180,000, third and fourth place – $80,000, fifth through eighth place – $42,500, ninth through twelfth place – $30,000). So making these playoffs over the course of the next few weeks will be a big deal. The top five teams from each conference will earn an automatic berth into the playoffs and the final two slots will be decided in a tournament with the remaining teams.
Not caught up on the standings but interested in the playoffs? These are the current top five teams in each conference. The full standings can be found here:
Eastern Conference:
1 Wizards District Gaming
2 Hornets Venom GT
3 76ers GC
4 NetsGC
5 Grizz Gaming
Western Conference
1 T-Wolves Gaming
2 Pacers Gaming
3 Jazz Gaming
4 Warriors Gaming Squad
5 Kings Guard Gaming