KD leads field of 16 in NBA 2K tourney on ESPN

The NBA, NBA Players Association and 2K have partnered to produce an NBA 2K tournament that will air on ESPN and ESPN2 starting Friday, it was announced.

The NBA 2K20 Player Tournament is Friday through April 11, according to a statement, and will begin airing on ESPN with a half-hour preshow at 7 p.m. ET. The tournament will run on ESPN until 8:30 p.m. and then is scheduled to transition to ESPN2 until 11:30 p.m.

Sixteen NBA players will compete, including Kevin Durant, Trae Young, Hassan Whiteside, Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker and others.

The winner of the event will receive $100,000 to give to a charity in support of coronavirus relief efforts.

“We’re thrilled to partner with the NBA and NBPA to bring basketball back to fans throughout the world and to help those in need during these uncertain times,” said Jason Argent, 2K senior vice president, 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.”

Players were seeded based on their player rating in NBA 2K20, with Durant, a 96 overall in the game, as the No. 1 seed. Players who were tied in overall rating were seeded based on tenure in the league.

Scheduled participants, with player ranking in parenthesis, includes:

1. Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Nets (96)

2. Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks (90)

3. Hassan Whiteside, Portland Trail Blazers (87)

4. Donovan Mitchell, Utah Jazz (87)

5. Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns (86)

6. Andre Drummond, Cleveland Cavaliers (85)

7. Zach LaVine, Chicago Bulls (85)

8. Montrezl Harrell, LA Clippers (85)

9. Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers (85)

10. Deandre Ayton, Phoenix Suns (85)

11. DeMarcus Cousins (81)

12. Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets (81)

13. Rui Hachimura, Washington Wizards (79)

14. Patrick Beverley, LA Clippers (78)

15. Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings (78)

16. Derrick Jones Jr., Miami Heat (78)

The schedule for the NBA 2K20 Player Tournament:

• Friday, April 3, ESPN, 7-8:30 p.m. ET

• Friday, April 3, ESPN2, 8:30-11:30 p.m. ET

• Sunday, April 5, ESPN2, 12-4 p.m. ET

• Quarterfinals: Tuesday, April 7, ESPN2, 7-11 p.m. ET

• Semifinals/Finals: Saturday, April 11, ESPN, Time TBD

All games will be available as VODs on ESPN3 following live competition