NBA 2K20 Players Only Tournament: Here’s How It Works

Well, it’s not exactly NBA basketball, but given the current circumstances, there are sure to be little complaints on Friday night.

2K Sports announced on March 31 that an official NBA 2K Players Only Tournament would take place on the evening of Friday, April 3, meaning that sixteen of the league’s most prolific talents would test their stick skills and take to the prominent virtual basketball simulation known as NBA 2k20 in a single-elimination tournament, as the Xbox One will be the official console of play.

Headlined by the likes of new Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant and Atlanta Hawks point guard Trae Young, the gaming tournament tips off — both virtually and denotatively — on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Now, anything basketball-related right now while the world is slowly recovering and flattening the curve amidst the COVID-19 crisis is a prize in itself, but the sixteen participants aren’t just playing for bragging rights on who is the best at 2k. The winner of this tournament will be crowned the ultimate NBA 2k20 champion, while also receiving a charitable donation of $100,000 from 2k, the NBA and the National Basketball Player’s Association as they select a charity beneficiary in support of the ongoing Coronavirus relief efforts.

So, here’s how this thing is broken down, as explained by NBA.com’s official press release back on March 31:

“Based on players’ seeding – which is determined first by NBA 2K rating, second by tenure – players will go head-to-head online in NBA 2K20. Prior to the tournament beginning, every player will choose eight of today’s NBA teams, each of which can only be used once. If a mirror match is set, the away team is awarded first choice of team. Rounds one and two will be single elimination, with the semifinals and finals running best of three.”

Below is the lead developer of NBA 2k Ronnie Singh, (AKA Ronnie 2k) as he explains just how this thing will work tonight, officially airing on ESPN at 7:30 as if it were another Friday night prime time NBA game.

As the seeding of the players were based on the ratings of their in-game avatars, Kevin Durant, given his career accolades and superior skill set, will be the highest-seeded player in the tournament as he is a top-five current player in the game, ratings-wise. His opponent tonight will be the 16th-seeded Derrick Jones Jr., the acrobatic wing from the Miami Heat who possesses a 78 overall rating in 2k20.

The seeding is as listed as follows:

1. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets (96)
2. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks (90)
3. Hassan Whiteside, Portland Trail Blazers (87)
4. Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz (87)
5. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns (86)
6. Andre Drummond, Cleveland Cavaliers (85)
7. Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls (85)
8. Montrezl Harrell, LA Clippers (85)
9. Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers (85)
10. Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns (85)
11. DeMarcus Cousins (81)
12. Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets (81)
13. Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards (79)
14. Patrick Beverley, LA Clippers (78)
15. Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings (78)
16. Derrick Jones Jr., Miami Heat (78)

And here’s who is facing who in the first round.

NBA.com

The teams selected in place for Jones Jr. are the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Dallas Mavericks, LA Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers, while Durant will get to pick either the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, LA Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder or Utah Jazz.

During these uncertain times where it feels like we haven’t seen any source of live competition to feed our palates, this 2K tourney attempts to do just that, so be sure to not miss a single minute of the NBA action on both ESPN and ESPN2 tonight, starting at 7:30 p.m. ET.

Additionally, if you’re unable to catch it on the major networks, the games will be streamed on the ESPN App, Twitter, Twitch, YouTube, and Facebook during and after the games have concluded their broadcasts.