NBA 2K League Season 5 to Bring Big Changes, Including 3v3 Tournaments

The NBA 2K League is bringing big changes to Season 5, including 3v3 tournaments, higher total prize pools and more. Here’s the rundown.

Tournament-Centric Season Structure

• The NBA 2K League will pivot from featuring a traditional “regular season” and now primarily be focused on tournament play (including qualifying events for tournaments), with the season spanning April through August.
• The League’s existing marquee 5v5 tournaments—THE BANNER CHAIN Powered by AT&T (THE TIPOFF, THE TURN AND THE TICKET) and the NBA 2K League Playoffs and Finals—will continue as the key components of the League’s standard 5v5 competition.
• THE BANNER CHAIN Powered by AT&T and the NBA 2K League Playoffs and Finals will continue to be comprised of only NBA 2K League teams.
• Teams will qualify for the NBA 2K League Playoffs based on their performance in the prior competitions throughout the season.

New 3v3 Tournaments Entitled by Coinbase

• In addition to the League’s standard 5v5 competition, the League is partnering with Coinbase to host three new 3v3 tournaments, and a culminating 3v3 championship.
• The NBA 2K League will have a separate 3v3 tournament prize pool.
• NBA 2K League teams—which will include five players this season—will be represented by three of their players during the 3v3 tournaments.

Significantly Higher Total Prize Pool

• The total prize pool—including the prize pool for the standard 5v5 competition and the prize pool for the new 3v3 tournaments—will be significantly higher than the prize pool awarded during any prior NBA 2K League season.
• More prize pool information will be announced in the coming months.

Amateur Teams vs. NBA 2K League Teams (in the Coinbase 3v3 Tournaments)

• 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 first two of these 3v3 tournaments will include the 24 NBA 2K League teams and North American amateur teams.
    • North American amateur teams will be able to enter into qualifying events to earn spots in the group play stages of these first two 3v3 tournaments.
• The third and final of these 3v3 tournaments will include NBA 2K League teams and one amateur international team from each of the European and Asia-Pacific regions.
  • International amateur teams will be able to enter region-specific qualifying events to earn spots in this third tournament.
• The culminating 3v3 tournament will feature NBA 2K League and amateur teams that have qualified based on their performance in the prior competitions throughout the season.

Additional information will be announced in 2022.