Harrison Barnes representing Kings in NBA 2K20 tournament for coronavirus relief
Basketball fans can watch some of their favorite players compete for the first time in weeks when the NBA 2K20 Players Tournament starts this weekend.
The league is still on lockdown due to the coronavirus crisis, but 16 players will participate in the first-ever players-only videogame tournament on ESPN and ESPN2. Harrison Barnes will represent the Kings in a field that features Kevin Durant, Trae Young, Hassan Whiteside, Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker and former Kings star DeMarcus Cousins.
Players were seeded based on their ratings in NBA 2K20. Durant is the No. 1 seed with a 96 overall rating. The winner will receive $100,000 from the NBA, NBA Players Association and NBA2K to donate to a charity of their choice to support coronavirus relief efforts.
“We’re thrilled to partner with the NBA and NBAPA to bring basketball back to fans throughout the world and help those in need during uncertain times,” said Jason Argent, NBA2K’s senior vice president of sports strategy and licensing. “Entertainment, especially sports, has the ability to bring communities together – including athletes, fans and families – and we hope that everyone will enjoy the tournament.”
Each player can select eight teams to play with during the tournament, but they can only use each team once. The first two rounds will be single elimination. The semifinals and finals will be best-of-three.
Barnes, the No. 15 seed, will face Young, the No. 2 seed, in the opening round. Cousins, the No. 11 seed, will go up against sixth-seeded Andre Drummond.
Friday’s first-round matchups will be aired on ESPN from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. and ESPN2 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Sunday’s games will be on ESPN2 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Quarterfinals will be held Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on ESPN2. The semifinals and finals are scheduled for April 11 on ESPN.
