The NBA 2K League is dramatically altering its format for the 2022 season, focusing on tournament-based competition and letting amateur teams get a piece of the action.
The season will run from April through August, with the focus on tournament play and qualifying events for tournaments. The traditional five-on-five tournaments — The Tipoff (season opener), The Turn (midseason) and The Ticket (late season) — will be “key components” of the schedule, according to the league, but it was unclear if other tournaments would be added.
Teams’ season-long results will determine qualification for the playoffs.
The 2022 season will feature a “significantly higher total prize pool.”
The league is also adding a number of three-on-three tournaments that will lead up to a three-on-three championship that will have separate prize pool. Each five-player NBA 2K League team will designate three of its players to compete in the three-on-three events, where they will be joined by amateur teams.
All of the NBA 2K League teams plus some qualifying North American amateur teams will compete in the first two three-on-three events. The third (and final) three-on-three event will feature the NBA 2K League teams plus one qualifier from Europe and one qualifier from the Asia-Pacific region.
Amateur teams will have a chance to reach the three-on-three championship tournament based upon their results.
The NBA 2K League is heading into its fifth season. The past champions are Knicks Gaming (2018), T-Wolves Gaming (2019) and Wizards District Gaming (2020, 2021).
–Field Level Media