The two-day event will identify several elite players from the Asia-Pacific region.
The NBA 2K League announced it’s first ever international qualifying event titled APAC Invitational.
This two-day event will help the league identify several elite players from the Asia-Pacific region. Those highlighted individuals will become eligible for the 2019 draft.
How this works out is 20 players will compete in a double-elimination tournament including scrimmages. These featured players are from Australia, China, New Zealand, and the Philippines.
The league has already identified the APAC Invitational competitors through the league’s previous combine and NBA 2K events.
🌏 🎮 Official: The NBA 2K League will be hosting its first ever international qualifying event February 2-3 in Hong Kong
Full details here: https://t.co/U0gCsHBcgb pic.twitter.com/eThUZ03JOn
— NBA 2K League (@NBA2KLeague) January 24, 2019
“Our goal is for the NBA 2K League to be a truly global league, with players and teams from around the world,” said NBA 2K League Managing Director Brendan Donohue. “Nine international players competed in our inaugural season and our hope is that number will grow every year. Hosting our first international qualifying event is an exciting moment for the NBA 2K League and an important step in further diversifying our player pool.”
In the end, a committee comprised of league representatives and team managers will identify several players from the Invitational who will become eligible for the 2019 NBA 2K League Draft.
Previously the league has identified the Top 200 players from the combine to advance in the next steps. From there, the pool will be narrowed down to draft-eligible players.
This latest move could be another extension of another prong approach to making sure the gaming is a natural extension of the NBA. Aside from expanding the team roster to include all 30 NBA teams, international expansion will be the next step.
Viewers can watch the APAC Invitational’s double-elimination tournament Feb. 3 on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch channel.