NBA 2K League Asia-Pacific Invitational Arrives in Manila

NBA 2K League Asia-Pacific Invitational Arrives in Manila

The NBA 2K League is a professional esports league featuring the best NBA 2K players in the world. It is the first official esports league operated by a U.S. professional sports league.

The NBA 2K League tipped off its inaugural season in May 2018 with 17 teams, each affiliated with an NBA team.

Since then, the league has expanded to 25 teams, 22 of which are affiliated with NBA teams. The Gen.G Tigers, DUX Infinitos, and the recently announced NBL Oz Gaming are the only NBA 2K League teams not affiliated with an NBA team.

Teams compete in both 3 vs. 3 and 5 vs. 5 gameplay using unique characters (not existing NBA players).

The 25 NBA 2K League teams are: 76ers GC, Blazer5 Gaming, Bucks Gaming, Celtics Crossover Gaming, Cavs Legion GC, DUX Infinitos, the Gen.G Tigers, Grizz Gaming, Hawks Talon GC, Heat Check Gaming, Hornets Venom GT, Jazz Gaming, Kings Guard Gaming, Knicks Gaming, Lakers Gaming, Magic Gaming, Mavs Gaming, NBL Oz Gaming, Nets GC, Pacers Gaming, Pistons GT, Raptors Uprising GC, T-Wolves Gaming, Warriors Gaming Squad, and Wizards District Gaming.

NBA 2K League CEO Andrew Perlmutter oversees all league operations.

2023 Season

The 2023 season featured both remote and in-person games. In-person competitions were played at District E in downtown Washington, D.C. in partnership with Monumental Sports & Entertainment.

The NBA 2K League 2023 season structure featured:

a tournament-centric season structure split into two halves – 3v3 and 5v5; Coinbase NBA 2KL 3v3 BLACKTOP SERIES – SLAM OPEN, SWITCH OPEN, STEAL OPEN THE BANNER CHAIN SERIES Powered by AT&T – THE TIPOFF, THE TURN, THE TICKET; a $2.5 million total cash prize pool; and amateur teams vs. NBA 2K League teams (in the Coinbase NBA 2KL 3v3 BLACKTOP SERIES).

NBA 2K League Asia-Pacific Invitational presented by Cignal

The NBA 2K League APAC Invitational presented by Cignal will take place Friday, Nov. 17 and Saturday, Nov. 18 at High Grounds Café in Quezon City in Metro Manila, Philippines Marks the NBA 2K League’s third in-person qualifying event in the Asia-Pacific region (Hong Kong 2019, Seoul 2020) The NBA 2K League APAC Invitational will feature 40 players from Australia, China, Indonesia, New Zealand, and the Philippines competing over two days of gameplay, including scrimmages and a tournament, and participating in interviews with league representatives All five players on the winning team of the APAC Invitational will be made eligible for the 2024 NBA 2K League Draft.

The eventual winners of the invitational tournament was a team No Way Out from Australia. The team was given a second chance of life, from shopping at the Mall of Asia, the team was notified that they will be the replacement for AeGis Indonesia Patriots. They hurried back to the venue and played like a team on a mission. The prize for winning the NBA 2K League Asia-Pacific Invitational if much more than the cash, it is the eligibility of all the members of the team to enter the NBA 2K draft which is worth much more.

Now with the start of NBA 2K in the Philippines, we are expecting a lot more NBA 2K events in the country.