The NBA 2K League announced today that the 2020 NBA 2K League APAC Invitational, the league’s second international qualifying event in the Asia-Pacific region, will take place Monday, Jan. 20 – Tuesday, Jan. 21 at Nexon Arena in Seoul, South Korea. The two-day event will identify several elite players from the Asia-Pacific region who will become eligible for the 2020 NBA 2K League Draft*.
The NBA 2K League APAC Invitational will feature 20 of the top NBA 2K players from Australia, China, New Zealand, the Philippines and South Korea competing over two days of gameplay, including scrimmages and a tournament, and participating in interviews with league representatives. The tournament on Jan. 21 will be live streamed on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels and in China on Tencent’s Penguin Esports, Douyu and Huya beginning at 3:30 p.m. local time.
The NBA 2K League also today launched the league’s official Weibo channel in China. NBA 2K League fans in China can follow along for the latest news, updates and content from the NBA 2K League.
“We’re excited to be holding our second Asia-Pacific invitational in Seoul and that Gen.G will be working with us on the event as part of our strategic relationship to develop elite NBA 2K talent across the Asia-Pacific region,” said NBA 2K League Managing Director Brendan Donohue. “Last season’s APAC Invitational identified several players who became eligible for the NBA 2K League Draft, and given the talent in the region we fully expect the level of competition to be even greater this year.”
The NBA 2K League identified players for the APAC Invitational through Gen.G’s recent Shanghai Invitational (Gen.G’s first-ever Pro-Am tournament in China that featured 20 of the best Chinese NBA 2K players), the NBA 2K League Combine and historical performances in NBA 2K events. At the end of the APAC Invitational, a committee comprised of league representatives, select NBA 2K League players and team personnel serving as scouts on the league’s behalf will identify several players who will become eligible for the 2020 NBA 2K League Draft.
As part of the APAC Invitational, on Jan. 20 Gen.G CEO Chris Park will unveil Gen.G’s NBA 2K League team name, logo and social media channels. On Jan. 21 the NBA 2K League will host the NBA 2K League Global Invitation Match, a series of exhibition matches featuring APAC Invitational players and 2019 NBA 2K League Finals MVP Michael “BearDaBeast” Key (T-Wolves Gaming) playing against top representatives from NBA2K Online 2 (a free-to-play online game published in China), including National League Champion “Shy.” The NBA 2K League Global Invitation Match will also be livestreamed in China on Tencent’s Penguin Esports, Douyu and Huya beginning at 11:30 a.m. local time.
Last season Jack “Jaacko” Stevenson (New Zealand) became the first player ever drafted from the APAC Invitational when he was selected 50th overall by Pistons GT, the NBA 2K League affiliate of the Detroit Pistons.
In September, the NBA 2K League announced that Gen.G, the global esports organization connecting the best gamers in the U.S. and Asia, would launch an NBA 2K League team from Shanghai that will join the other 22 NBA 2K League teams for the 2020 season. In addition to launching the Shanghai franchise, Gen.G and the NBA 2K League announced a long-term relationship to grow the NBA 2K League’s global player pool and fanbase.
Last summer, Tencent, a leading provider of comprehensive Internet services in China, streamed condensed 2019 NBA 2K League Playoff and Finals games to its hundreds of millions of daily users across Tencent Sports, Tencent Video and Tencent News.
