The NBA 2K League revealed Tuesday that Indianapolis will play host to the league’s fifth anniversary season and also announced its complete schedule, which includes both online and in-person events.
There is only one place to be crowned in season 5, Indianapolis… the city of champions 🏆 pic.twitter.com/3YiTeVs5mk
— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) February 9, 2022
The hybrid schedule
The games kick off on March 23 with a qualifying event featuring the Coinbase NBA2KL 3v3 Slam Open. This competition will be the first of three tournaments for the Coinbase NBA2KL 3v3 Blacktop Series. It will also lead up to the NBA2KL 3v3 and 5v5 Finals that will be a part of the NBA2KL Championships happening on Aug. 20 and Aug. 27 respectively.
Fans can access the full hybrid schedule on the NBA 2K League’s website.
In-person NBA 2K League matches will take place at the Pavilion at Pan Am arena, which is located in Indianapolis. The new NBA 2K League Studio will have two competition stages, and more information about the tickets for in-person games will be provided in near future, according to the announcement.
The growth of esports
“After playing nearly all of the 2020 and 2021 seasons remotely, we are thrilled to get back to our live studio experience in the heart of downtown Indianapolis – a city overflowing with passionate basketball fans and known for putting on some of the biggest events in American sports,” NBA 2K League President Brendan Donohue said. He added that the league is proud to call the city its home for the 2022 season.
Indiana Sports Corp President Ryan Vaughn noted that his own team will help the league in several capacities over the course of the 2022 competitions. Vaughn said he looks forward to welcoming the first-ever full tournament season, playoff and championship event to Indianapolis. He also acknowledged the growth of esports worldwide.
NBA 2K League Season 5
The Coinbase NBA2KL 3v3 Blacktop Series will include the Slam Open, Switch Open and Steal Open. The Slam Open and Switch Open events will feature 24 NBA 2K League teams, American amateur teams and chosen community ones.
As for the Steal Open, it will involve the 14 NBA 2K League teams that haven’t already qualified for the NBA2KL 3v3 Playoffs, according to the press release. This tournament will also include one amateur international team from each of the Asia-Pacific and European regions.
These tournaments will complement the 5v5 Banner Chain Powered by AT&T competitions, which will include The Tipoff, The Turn and The Ticket. The Banner Chain Powered by AT&T and NBA2KL 5v5 Playoffs and Finals will only have NBA 2K League teams.
All 24 of them will duke it out against each other in The Tipoff and The Turn. Then, the top five teams from each conference will qualify for the NBA2KL 5v5 Playoffs. Meanwhile, the remaining teams will fight in The Ticket, with the winners from the two conferences receiving the eleventh and twelfth spots in the NBA2KL 5v5 Playoffs.
More information about the upcoming season will be revealed in the coming months.
