HONG KONG AND NEW YORK – The NBA 2K League announced today that the NBA 2K League APAC Invitational, the league’s first-ever international qualifying event, will take place Saturday, Feb. 2 – Sunday, Feb. 3 in Hong Kong.  The two-day event will identify several elite players from the Asia-Pacific region who will become eligible for the 2019 NBA 2K League Draft*.

The NBA 2K League APAC Invitational will feature 20 players competing over two days of gameplay, including scrimmages, a double-elimination tournament on day two, and interviews with league representatives and team managers.  The Invitational will feature players from Australia, China, New Zealand and the Philippines. The NBA 2K League identified players for the event through the NBA 2K League Combine and through historical performances in NBA 2K events, including the annual NBA 2K Asia Tournament.

“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.”

At the end of the Invitational, 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.

The double-elimination tournament on Feb. 3 will be live-streamed on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch channel.

For more information, fans can follow the NBA 2K League on Twitter (NBA2KLeague), Instagram (nba2kleague) and Facebook (NBA 2K League) and visit NBA2KLeague.com.

*Players will become draft-eligible upon passing a background check and social media check.

About the NBA 2K League
The NBA 2K League, a professional esports league co-founded by the NBA and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO), launched in 2018 and features the best NBA 2K players in the world.  Each of the league’s 21 teams features six players who compete as unique characters in 5-on-5 play against the other teams in a mix of regular-season games, in-season tournaments and playoffs.  Knicks Gaming won the first-ever NBA 2K League Finals on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2018.  For more information about the NBA 2K League, visit NBA2KLeague.com.