With restrictions in place for everyone during the coronavirus pandemic, more and more people are seeking out, and creating content, via streaming and that includes NBA players as they sign up for a virtual NBA 2K20 Tournament, according to CNET.
A number of NBA players, such as Brooklyn Nets’ superstar Kevin Durant who was knocked out in the first round, signed on to play in the tournament that will air on ESPN, ESPN2, Twitch, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook.
According to the Los Angeles Times’ Andrew Greif, the tournament champion will earn $100,000 for a charity of his choosing in support of coronavirus relief efforts.
The tournament results have been interesting as Durant was eliminated by No. 16 seed Derrick Jones Jr., No. 14 seed Los Angeles Clippers’ guard Patrick Beverley upset No. 3 seed Portland Trail Blazers’ center Hassan Whiteside and No. 13 seed Washington Wizards’ forward Rui Hachimura eliminated No. 4 seed Utah Jazz superstar Donovan Mitchell.
The tournament has continued a boom in streaming, with many twitch channels coming under the spotlight as many NBA players have broadcasted to the platform, becoming some of the most popular twitch streamers today.
The quarterfinal matchups for the NBA 2K Players Tournament are as follows:
- (8) Los Angeles Clippers’ Montrezl Harrell vs. (16) Miami Heat’s Derrick Jones Jr.
- (2) Atlanta Hawks’ Trae Young vs. (10) Phoenix Suns’ DeAndre Ayton
- (6) Cleveland Cavaliers’ Andre Drummond vs. (14) Patrick Beverley
- (5) Phoenix Suns’ Devin Booker vs. (13) Rui Hachimura
Booker, in particular, is becoming a big name in streaming and even in esports, as he is a member of one of the most successful and popular esports teams 100 Thieves.
Semifinals and finals
The semifinals and finals will be played on Saturday, April 11 at 3-7 p.m. ET (12-4 p.m. PT) on ESPN.
With streaming platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, Twitch, and YouTube seeing a marked increase in content consumption, it has really elevated other markets as well, such as fitness streams that showcase workout streams and even yoga streams so people can continue to stay in shape as the quarantines continue.
While Twitch and YouTube may make all the headlines, Mixer is also seeing a boost in viewership as well, with many Mixer streamers producing more and more content on their Mixer channels.
All games will be available as VODs on ESPN3 following live competition.
