Today, the NBA announced the NBA 2K League Qualifier that will take place in January. The event will be the first step towards getting an invitation to the second stage of tryouts in February. After that, talent scouting will undergo another layer of scrutiny.
Here are some key facts revealed today
- The first stage of qualifying for the NBA 2K League will take place from Jan. 1-31
- Players need to win 50 games in in NBA 2K18’s Pro-Am mode
- Players will also need to complete an online application by January 31
- The January qualifying stage is open to anyone around the world who has a copy of NBA 2K18 (PlayStation 4 or Xbox One). You must also be 18 or over.
- Players can compete as a walk-on, part of a team or a combination
- Players will use their existing MyPlayer for this stage
- Winning more than 50 games does not increase a player’s standing
NBA 2K League Schedule
• (Qualifying Stage) Jan. 1st – Jan.31st (Starts at 12 am)
30 Days to win 50 games Best of the best advance to the tryout mode
• (Tryout Mode) February
• (Draft) Mid March
• (Player Relocation) April
• (Season 1) May-August
The NBA 2K League is the first eSports league that is owned and managed by one of the four major US sports leagues. At launch, there will be 17 NBA teams that participate in the first NBA 2K League. Managing director Brendan Donohue believes the popularity of the NBA coupled with the success of the 2K titles gives the league staying power in the eSports arena.
A full league-like regular season will take place followed by an offseason that will feature a free agency and possibly trades. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver stated that participating in this league will be like a full-time job for those drafted. They will have to practice with their teammates in between games.
Before to follow the NBA 2K League Twitter account @NBA2KLeague and stay tuned here at SGO for all the latest news on all your favorite sports games!