NBA 2K League: 2023 Playoffs is one of the most successful events in series
The NBA 2K League: 2023 Playoffs, carrying a prize pool of $1M, was held from August 2 to August 5. It involved a best-of-3, single elimination bracket play in the traditional 5v5 format and was the second split of the 2023 season, with the first one involving the 3v3 mode and running from March 8 to May 13. The event ended as the fourth most watched and popular in the series, which was first held five years back under NBA 2K League President Brendan Donohue.
After 11 games in the Playoffs stage, it was Warriors Gaming Squad who came out on top after beating the newest team in the league, NBL Oz Gaming, 3-1 in the Grand Final. The winner took home $500K, the runner-up pocketed $200K, and the third and fourth-placed sides claimed $80K. The fifth to eighth places received $25K each, while the ninth to twelfth spots were handed $10K each.
The NBA 2K League: 2023 Playoffs hit 46K Peak Viewers during the summit clash between Warriors Gaming Squad and NBL Oz Gaming. It also hit 663K Hours Watched and 30K Average Viewers over an airtime of 22 hours.
The event was streamed on Twitch and YouTube, with 3mglive and splashy being the most watched and popular individual channels, respectively. This NBA 2K competition was almost entirely watched on Twitch, with English being almost the only language to register on the watch time scale.
When looking at the six seasons of the NBA 2K League, the NBA 2K League: 2023 Playoffs registered as the fourth most watched and popular competition. The NBA 2K League 2020 leads the table in the former metric while the topper regarding peak concurrent viewers is The Coinbase NBA 2KL 3v3 SLAM OPEN.
Only three events make the top eight in the post-pandemic era (2022 onwards), if we can call it that, and the organizer will surely look into attracting more eyeballs with future editions. However, for now, the league has created a niche space for itself in the North American esports scene and will hope to post higher numbers as viewers get more familiar with the new format.
More about NBA2K League
The NBA 2K League, a professional esports league, is a joint venture between the NBA and Take-Two Interactive. It features the best players from across the world in NBA 2K and is the first official esports league operated by a US professional sports league.
Its first season occurred in May 2018, having 17 teams affiliated with an NBA side. The league has since expanded to 25 teams, with 22 connected to NBA teams. Gen.G Tigers, DUX Infinito, and NBL Oz Gaming are three other sides part of this esports tournament.
Teams compete in 3V3 and 5V5 gameplay using unique characters (not existing NBA players). The 25 NBA 2K League teams are:
- 76ers GC
- Blazer5 Gaming
- Bucks Gaming
- Celtics Crossover Gaming
- Cavs Legion GC
- DUX Infinitos
- Gen.G Tigers
- Grizz Gaming
- Hawks Talon GC
- Heat Check Gaming
- Hornets Venom GT
- Jazz Gaming
- Kings Guard Gaming
- Knicks Gaming
- Lakers Gaming
- Magic Gaming
- Mavs Gaming
- NBL Oz Gaming
- Nets GC
- Pacers Gaming
- Pistons GT
- Raptors Uprising GC
- T-Wolves Gaming
- Warriors Gaming Squad
- Wizards District Gaming.
It was only last year that the league introduced the 3v3 game mode, whose goal this year is to continue to provide opportunities for up-and-coming players to rise to the top, compete on stage for prizing, and potentially earn a spot on an NBA2KL roster. However, it is Split 2 (5v5) that remains the apex of the 2023 2KL season and competitive NBA2K gaming.
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