The NBA 2K League announced that Indianapolis has been selected as the host city for the NBA 2K League’s fifth anniversary season and unveiled the league’s complete competition schedule, which includes a combination of remote and in-person games. The competition tips off on Wednesday, March 23 with the amateur qualifying event for the Coinbase NBA2KL 3v3 SLAM OPEN, the first of three tournaments in the new Coinbase NBA2KL 3v3 BLACKTOP SERIES, and will culminate with the NBA2KL 3v3 and 5v5 Finals as part of the NBA2KL Championships on Saturday, Aug. 20 and Saturday, Aug. 27, respectively.
In-person NBA 2K League competitions will take place at the new NBA 2K League Studio in Indianapolis at The Pavilion at Pan Am. The studio’s innovative design will feature two circular competition stages to allow for simultaneous in‑person games that give the broadcast the opportunity to switch between games in real-time to capture the most exciting action. Information on tickets for in-person games will be announced in the coming weeks.
“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,” said NBA 2K League President Brendan Donohue. “The NBA 2K League is proud to call Indianapolis our home for the 2022 season.”
“Indiana Sports Corp is excited to partner with the NBA 2K League on its upcoming season in Indy,” said Indiana Sports Corp President Ryan Vaughn. “Our team will provide assistance in several capacities over the course of their 2022 competitions, and we look forward to welcoming this first-ever full tournament season, playoff and championship event to our city. Esports is among the fastest growing sports in the world, and we are thrilled Indy will be the epicenter of the NBA 2K global community for the next 6 months. We are, after all, the city where champions are crowned.”
New this season, as an avenue for the 2 million players who play NBA 2K every day to compete in NBA 2K League competition, amateur teams from around the world will have the opportunity to participate alongside NBA 2K League teams for a share of the 3v3 tournament prize pool. The Coinbase NBA2KL 3v3 BLACKTOP SERIES, which includes the SLAM OPEN, SWITCH OPEN and STEAL OPEN, will complement the traditional 5v5 BANNER CHAIN Powered by AT&T tournaments (THE TIPOFF, THE TURN and THE TICKET). The SLAM OPEN and SWITCH OPEN will include the 24 NBA 2K League teams, North American amateur teams that earned a spot through the tournaments’ qualifying events and Community Teams selected by the league and consisting of top players from the 2K community and social media influencers. The STEAL OPEN will include the 14 NBA 2K League teams that haven’t already qualified for the NBA2KL 3v3 Playoffs, and one amateur international team from each of the European and Asia-Pacific regions that earned a spot through separate international qualifying events. NBA 2K League teams, amateur teams and Community Teams will qualify for the NBA2KL 3v3 Playoffs based on their performance in the prior competitions throughout the season.
THE BANNER CHAIN Powered by AT&T and the NBA2KL 5v5 Playoffs and Finals will continue to feature only NBA 2K League teams. All 24 teams will compete in THE TIPOFF and THE TURN. The five top performing teams from each conference at the end of the regular season will automatically qualify for the NBA2KL 5v5 Playoffs. The 14 remaining teams will compete in THE TICKET, with the winning teams from the two conferences earning the 11th and 12th spots in the playoffs.
For the first time in league history, following the completion of the SLAM OPEN, THE TIPOFF, the SWITCH OPEN and THE TURN, each NBA 2K League team will play five additional 3v3 and 5v5 matches that will finalize which teams automatically qualify for the NBA2KL Championships and determine seeding in the STEAL OPEN and THE TICKET.
The NBA 2K League will announce additional information related to the 2022 season in the coming months, including registration details for the qualifying events for the three Coinbase NBA2KL 3v3 BLACKTOP SERIES tournaments, further details about Community Teams, and the 2022 season prize pools.
Below please find the 2022 NBA 2K League competition schedule:
- March 23 – 26 SLAM OPEN Amateur North America Qualifying Event (Remote)
- March 30 – April 2 SLAM OPEN Amateur North America Qualifying Event (Remote)
- April 5 – 8 THE TIPOFF Group Play (Remote)
- April 12 – 15 THE TIPOFF Group Play (Remote)
- April 20 – 23 THE TIPOFF Bracket Play (NBA 2K League Studio, Indianapolis)
- April 26 – 29 SLAM OPEN Group Play (Remote)
- April 27 – 30 STEAL OPEN Amateur Europe Qualifying Event (Remote)
- May 3 – 6 SLAM OPEN Group Play (Remote)
- May 4 – 7 STEAL OPEN Amateur APAC Qualifying Event (Remote)
- May 11 – 14 SLAM OPEN Bracket Play (NBA 2K League Studio, Indianapolis)
- May 18 – 21 SWITCH OPEN Amateur North America Qualifying Event (Remote)
- May 25 – 28 SWITCH OPEN Amateur North America Qualifying Event (Remote)
- May 24 – 27 THE TURN Group Play (Remote)
- May 31 – June 3 THE TURN Group Play (Remote)
- June 8 – 11 THE TURN Bracket Play (NBA 2K League Studio, Indianapolis)
- June 14 – 17 SWITCH OPEN Group Play (Remote)
- June 21 – 24 SWITCH OPEN Group Play (Remote)
- June 29 – July 2 SWITCH OPEN Bracket Play (NBA 2K League Studio, Indianapolis)
- July 5 – 8 5v5 Seed Weeks (Remote)
- July 12 – 15 5v5 Seed Weeks (Remote)
- July 19 – 22 3v3 Seed Weeks (Remote)
- July 26 – July 29 3v3 Seed Weeks (Remote)
- August 1 – 7 League-Wide Bye Week
- August 10 – 11 STEAL OPEN (NBA 2K League Studio, Indianapolis)
- August 12 – 13 THE TICKET (NBA 2K League Studio, Indianapolis)
- August 17 – 20 NBA2KL 3v3 Playoffs and Finals (NBA 2K League Studio, Indianapolis)
- August 24 – 27 NBA2KL 5v5 Playoffs and Finals (NBA 2K League Studio, Indianapolis)
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