NBA 2K League

• 1. The 2017 Announcement

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  On the 11th of December 2017, the official logo for the NBA 2K League was revealed. This event marked the public beginning of a joint venture between the National Basketball Association and Take-Two Interactive. The league under its original form had been announced earlier that year in 2017 with its inaugural season taking place in 2018. There were 22 NBA teams that had teams, with a few independent teams also competing. The first weekly matchups took place on the 11th of May 12, following a tip-off tournament from the 1st of May 5. All games were live-streamed on Twitch and available to view on demand after the live broadcasts. The inaugural season lasted for 17 weeks before concluding with the NBA 2K League Finals on August 25.

• 2. Evolution Of Game Formats

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  In September 2020, the league designed a new draft system for the 2021 season. The league used Pro-Am mode for the games, which consisted of 5-on-5 matches where players used archetypes with preset skills instead of their own MyPlayer or NBA players. A special build of the newest NBA 2K game is used for the league, with equipment provided by Alienware and Intel. HyperX is the league's headset sponsor, while Scuf Gaming provides controllers for all matches. In the 2022 season, the league added a distinct 3v3 season to alternate with the traditional 5v5 mode. Both modes saw the removal of regular season play in favor of tournaments a seed weeks to determine playoff standings. For 5v5, tournaments remained single elimination. DUX Infinitos claimed the 3v3 title for the first time in franchise history, defeating Pistons GT in a bracket reset finals.

• 3. Broadcast Partnerships And Media

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  On the 18th of April 2018, the NBA 2K League and Twitch announced a multiyear partnership to live stream all games. The rights to live stream the league's games went to YouTube and Twitch for season 2. NBA 2K and ESPN agreed to broadcast the games on ESPN2 and the ESPN App for the league's third season. The third season was planned to start on the 31st of March 2020, but the season was postponed to the 5th of May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the same year, the league agreed to a broadcast deal with Loco, a live streaming and esports platform in India, which was renewed in 2022. In 2022 Stadium, NBA TV and the league agreed to broadcast select playoff and championship games. Games are live streamed on the NBA 2K League Twitch and YouTube channels.

• 4. Player Economics And Standards

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  Players signed six-month contracts and had their relocation and housing costs covered by the league and teams. Benefits included medical insurance and a retirement plan. Food, transportation, and housing was also covered during the season when teams traveled for games. During the six-month season, players drafted in the first round made a base salary of $35,000, while players drafted in subsequent rounds made $33,000. Players retained by teams following a season in the league earned $38,000. Players could also earn money through the league's $2.5 million prize pool, which was split across all tournaments and playoffs throughout the season. Players were also allowed to sign endorsement deals to earn extra income.

• 5. Global Expansion And Roster Changes

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  On the 15th of August 2018, it was announced that the league would expand to 21 teams in 2019 with the addition of teams from Atlanta, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, and Minnesota. The league grew to 23 teams in 2020 with the additions of Charlotte and Gen.G, the first team outside of North America. The league expanded to Mexico in 2022 with the addition of Dux Gaming, who became the 24th team in the league. The league expanded to Australia in 2023 with the introduction of NBL Oz Gaming, operated by Australia's National Basketball League, as the 25th team. When the NBA 2K League was relaunched in 2025, only 6 of the previous 25 franchises returned, all of them being NBA teams.

• 6. The 2024 Hiatus And Restructuring

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  Following the 2023 season, the NBA announced that league president Brendan Donohue, who had overseen league operations since its inception, would step down from his position. The league subsequently named Andrew Perlmutter as CEO. On the 2nd of July 2024, following the conclusion of the 2024 season, Perlmutter called all league players and staff in a 10-minute video call and announcing that he is firing everyone in a mass layoff. Subsequently, the league announced that it will go on hiatus for eighteen months while it undergoes a major overhaul amidst recent challenges in the esports industry as a whole. The overhaul will be more social-oriented, with an added focus on influencers and celebrities.

• 7. Influencer Culture And Relaunch

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  The NBA 2K League would officially relaunch on the 4th of November 2025. A multi-year deal was signed between NBA 2K Media and the National Basketball Players Association, which allowed them to work directly with active NBA players. Jess 'Jesser' Riedel would be named the new 'honorary' commissioner of the league. Only 6 teams returned for the start of the revamped 2025 season, all of them being NBA teams. When the 2K League returned in 2025, it utilized a revamped format with 2 initial phases, MyPlayer Mayhem and Next Fan Up. MyPlayer Mayhem consisted of 6 teams, each one having their own influencer as captain, before the teams competed in two tournaments, the first being 2v2 and the second being 3v3. Next Fan Up was an open ladder tournament open to anybody who had a copy of NBA 2K26.