NBA 2K League player qualifying event starts on 1 January

Players will try out for a spot in the NBA’s new e-sports league

NBA 2K18 LeBron James
Cleveland Cavaliers player LeBron James as featured in NBA 2K18
(Image credit: Facebook/NBA2K)

Organisers of the new NBA 2K League have announced that a qualifying event will be held in January for players seeking to join the e-sports competition.

Starting in May 2018, 17 NBA franchises have signed up for the league’s first season. Potential players will first go through the NBA 2K League Qualifier from 1-31 January, tryouts in February and then a player draft in March.

The draft will then see the world’s best 85 NBA 2K players allocated to teams such as the Golden State Warriors and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

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Revealing details of the NBA 2K League Qualifier on Reddit, the league’s managing director Brendan Donohue said: “Playing ability is paramount. Players will not qualify based solely on social followers or marketability.”

About the NBA 2K League Qualifier

  • When: 1-31 January
  • Age of players: 18 and older
  • Open to: anyone around the world who has a copy of NBA 2K18 (PlayStation 4 or Xbox One)

How the qualifying event works

See more

NBA 2K League at a glance

  • Launching: 2018
  • Number of teams: 17 in year one
  • Number of players: 85

Season schedule

  • January: qualifying event for players
  • February: tryouts for the 85 spots
  • March: NBA 2K player draft
  • May: start of the season

Participating teams

  • Boston Celtics
  • Cleveland Cavaliers
  • Dallas Mavericks
  • Detroit Pistons
  • Golden State Warriors
  • Indiana Pacers
  • Memphis Grizzlies
  • Miami Heat
  • Milwaukee Bucks
  • New York Knicks
  • Orlando Magic
  • Philadelphia 76ers
  • Portland Trail Blazers
  • Sacramento Kings
  • Toronto Raptors
  • Utah Jazz
  • Washington Wizards

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