The NBA 2K League announced today that the league will begin their season in May, but will do so in a remote format.
Start of 2020 NBA 2K League Season
Prior to the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, the NBA 2K League planned to start the regular season on March 24 in New York City. On March 12, the league announced that the regular season would not start on time, and that league play would be suspended until further notice.
Today, the NBA 2K League announced that it will in fact start the 2020 season in May, but will do so in a different format. Rather than competing in New York City, all 23 teams will compete remotely in their home markets. This format will be in effect for the first six weeks of the regular season.
On the start of the 2020 season, NBA 2K League Managing Director Brendon Donahue stated, “We are thrilled to officially tip off the 2020 NBA 2K League season remotely and hope the excitement of NBA 2K League competition provides both new and returning fans with a fun way to stay connected and engage with our league during these unprecedented times.” He added, “Our players have been quarantining with their teammates as they prepare for the season and will now have the opportunity to compete against one another and show they are the best players in the world.”
Format of 2020 Season
Games will be played at 7 PM EST every Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, and each team will play in four distinct matchups every night. Each matchup will feature a best-of-three contest, and the first team to reach two wins in the best-of-three will take the regular season contest.
The league also announced that its three signature tournaments, THE TIPOFF, THE TURN and THE TICKET. All 23 teams will compete in the first two tournaments, and the 14 teams that do not make the playoffs will compete in THE TICKET tourney, which will decide the 10th team in the 2020 postseason.
This year’s regular season will see unique broadcasts on Twitch and YouTube, as all games will be broadcast remotely, and 2K League broadcasters will call the games from a virtual studio.
Here is the schedule for the first six weeks of the season:
- May 5 – 8          Regular Season – Week 1
- May 12 – 15               Regular Season – Week 2
- May 19 – 22               Regular Season – Week 3
- May 26 – 29               Regular Season – Week 4
- June 2 – 5          Regular Season – Week 5
- June 9 – 12         Regular Season – Week 6
A full schedule featuring matchups will be made available at a later date. Â Â Â
