NBA 2K League to host first qualifying event in Europe

LONDON AND NEW YORK – The NBA 2K League announced today that the NBA 2K League European Invitational, the league’s first-ever qualifying event in Europe, will take place Friday, Dec. 13 – Saturday, Dec. 14 in London.  The two-day event will identify several elite players from Europe who will become eligible for the 2020 NBA 2K League Draft*.

The NBA 2K League European Invitational will feature 20 players from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Turkey and the U.K. competing over two days of gameplay, including scrimmages and a double-elimination tournament, and participating in interviews with league representatives and team managers.  The NBA 2K League identified players for the event through the NBA 2K League Combine, NBA 2K community Pro-Am tournaments and historical performances in NBA 2K events.

“We are excited to bring together the best NBA 2K players from across Europe for our first-ever European qualifying event,” said NBA 2K League Managing Director Brendan Donohue.  “Building on the success of last season’s APAC Invitational, which identified several draft-eligible players from the Asia‑Pacific region, it is important for us to further strengthen our player pool by providing more opportunities for top international players to qualify for the 2020 NBA 2K League Draft.”

The double-elimination tournament on Dec. 14 will be livestreamed on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels.  At the end of the European Invitational, a committee comprised of league representatives and team managers will identify several players who will become eligible for the 2020 NBA 2K League Draft.

NBA 2K League representatives who will serve as scouts at the European Invitational include Pacers Gaming Senior Director of Esports Operations and Head Coach Cody Parrent, 76ers GC Head Coach and 2019 NBA 2K League Coach of the Year Jeff Terrell, and Knicks Gaming center Harry “HazzaUK” Hurst (U.K.).  Additional details about the European Invitational will be announced at a later date.

Three European players have competed in the NBA 2K League: Hurst, Jamie “vGooner-” Bull (U.K.), and Jannis “JLB” Neumann (Germany).

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

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