Dhwan “ShiftyKaii” White named tournament MVP
T-Wolves Gaming, the official NBA 2K League affiliate of the Minnesota Timberwolves, won the NBA 2K The TIPOFF Tournament powered by AT&T by beating Wizard District Gaming 2-1 in the semifinals matchup and beating 76ers GC 2-1 in a 2019 NBA 2K League Finals rematch.
In the semifinal series against Wizard District Gaming, Michael “BearDaBeast” Key led T-Wolves Gaming to a Game 1 victory with 37 points on 12-of-17 shooting, including 9-of-13 from beyond the arc and 12 assists. In Game 2, Malik “Slaughter” Leisinger registered a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. To pull off the semifinals victory, Dhwan “ShiftyKaii” White tallied a team high 25 points, connecting on 10-of-15 from the field.
In The TIPOFF Tournament finals series, “ShiftyKaii” registered 30 points and 10 assists in Game 1. In Game 2, “Slaughter” dropped another double-double with 20 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and three steals. In the deciding game, “ShiftyKaii” went off for 36 points, connecting on 8-of-12 from three-point range and was named The TIPOFF Tournament MVP. “ShiftyKaii” becomes the first non-point guard to win MVP honors in the TIPOFF Tournament.
“I am most proud that we came together as a team. In this league everybody can play, everybody is really good at 2K, the difference is chemistry,” said T-Wolves Gaming point guard “BearDaBeast”. “You either got it or you don’t, and we have seen it, this group is special.”
“It honestly feels great to win my first ever TIPOFF,” said Head Coach Nick Gartrelle. “This is just a showing what we can do and what is to come.” With tonight’s tournament victory, Gartrelle becomes the youngest head coach to win a banner as part of the NBA 2K League BANNER CHAIN powered by AT&T.
THE TIPOFF powered by AT&T was the first of three in-season tournaments, where teams compete for banners as part of the BANNER CHAIN powered by AT&T. The tournament featured all 23 NBA 2K League teams starting with a group stage before teams advanced to the playoff rounds. With a first-place finish, T-Wolves Gaming will take home $70,000 of the total $160,000 prize pool that was split among the first through fourth place finishers. For more details regarding the NBA 2K League the TIPOFF Tournament please click here.