NBA 2K League’s 2023 season will be hosted at District E, a new live-events center in Washington, D.C.
Play will begin March 8.
District E is set to open in March adjacent to Capital One Arena, where the Washington Wizards of the NBA and the NHL’s Washington Capitals play. The building is designed to host a variety of sports-centric downtown Washington events, and esports are being given center stage.
The venue includes a space where fans can watch the competition, as well as a practice center. Aside from the NBA 2K League season, District E will host the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive BLAST Premier Spring Final in June.
“As early investors in the NBA 2K League, we are honored to host the most elite esports athletes in the world at our new esports and entertainment facility,” said Zach Leonsis, president of media and new enterprises at Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
“The League has designed an exciting season and we look forward to welcoming their fans and the rest of the vast gaming community from across the Mid-Atlantic to District E for a first-of-its-kind experience. And for those new to esports, we believe we are going to turn them into die-hard fans once they see the amazing live-action in person and all the other amenities which District E will have to offer.”
Monumental’s holdings include the Wizards, Capitals, the Washington Mystics of the WNBA, Wizards District Gaming and Caps Gaming. The latter two teams will occupy District E, and it also will serve as an East Coast satellite office for esports organization Team Liquid.
The NBA 2K League also announced Thursday that for the first time, the season will be split into 3v3 and 5v5 competitions. League finals for the 3v3 sector will be held May 13, with the finals for 5v5 play set for Aug. 5.
–Field Level Media