The NBA 2K players tournament final was a Phoenix Suns-exclusive event.
Devin Booker defeated Montrezl Harrell in the semifinals while his teammate Deandre Ayton took care of Patrick Beverley, setting us up for some Sun-against-Sun action in Saturday’s final.
Although the semifinals and the final were each a best-of-three series, Booker didn’t drop a single game all tournament long, beating Ayton twice (Rockets over Lakers, Nuggets over Bucks) to win the first ever 2K players tournament as well as $100,000 towards Direct Relief and Arizona Food Bank Network for coronavirus relief.
This was the first tournament of its kind, and it seems to have inspired other sports to do the same already — MLB players are currently participating in their own MLB: The Show league, broadcasting on Twitch.
Although he didn’t advance to the final, Beverley was one of the breakout stars of the tournament, showing that his gritty mentality on the court was also just as entertaining in an esports setting. Booker, of course, has plenty of experience as a Twitch streamer playing other games, so it makes sense that he could cross over to 2K success.
If you liked the first year of the 2K tournament, it sounds like the organizers are encouraged by what they’ve seen so far. Obviously, there were some extenuating circumstances that led the league to partner with 2K on this kind of event, but it may just be back for more eventually.
