Details of the NBA 2K League 2023 Draft have been revealed for its upcoming sixth season. The event will be held on Thursday, January 26 at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET in New York City and live streamed via the NBA 2K League’s official Twitch and YouTube channels. The draft will feature VIP guests, including select draft prospects, returning NBA 2K League players, social media influencers and celebrities.
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The 6th annual @NBA2KLeague draft is coming up and we caught up with @2KLeagueMD on the latest episode of 2KTV to talk competitive 2K! 👀 pic.twitter.com/yoiajbroyd
— NBA 2KTV (@NBA2K_2KTV) January 17, 2023
The draft spans three rounds and the #1 overall pick belongs to HawksTalon GC. Tryouts for the NBA 2K League saw a record-setting 101,000 participants in 3v3 and 5v5 draft-eligible events.
Check out the full press release and draft order below:
NEW YORK, Jan. 12, 2023 – The NBA 2K League announced today that the 2023 NBA 2K League Draft will be livestreamed from New York City on Thursday, Jan. 26 at 8 p.m. ET, and will air on the NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels. The invite-only Draft party will feature VIP guests, including select draft prospects, returning NBA 2K League players, social media influencers and celebrities.
“A pinnacle moment every offseason and a marquee event for 2K and basketball fans alike, we are thrilled to bring the NBA 2K League Draft back live to New York City for the first time since 2020,” said NBA 2K League President Brendan Donohue. “We started with over 100,000 tryouts across 3v3 and 5v5 competitions, players all aspiring to be drafted by one of our 25 teams. On Draft night, we will introduce you to this draft class and their amazing stories, welcome our newest franchise from Australia – NBL Oz Gaming – and we will watch our reigning 3v3 champions Pistons GT and 5v5 champions Bucks Gaming take first steps in their title defenses.”
Debuting this past offseason, the NBA 2K League Become a Pro Series saw incredible interest with a record-setting 101,000 tryouts from 126 countries. The draft pool will also consist of unretained players, players who earned draft eligibility as part of the NBA 2K League Draft Prospect Series, select competitors from the NBA 2K League’s APAC, Australian and European Invitationals, and high-performing players in the 2K community as determined by league and team officials. See below for more information on some of the notable 2023 NBA 2K League draft prospects. The complete draft pool will be announced at a later date.
- Amber “IiCraftI” Anderson – A sharp-shooting power forward out of Chicago, IiCraftI is a first-time draft pool prospect and Illinois Wesleyan University student majoring in Political Science.
- Artreyo “Dimez” Boyd – 2022 NBA 2K League Champion and Finals MVP with Bucks Gaming, Dimez enters this year’s draft as an unretained player after five seasons with Mavs Gaming, Raptors Uprising GC and Bucks Gaming. Dimez was the number 1 overall pick in the inaugural NBA 2K League Draft and is considered one of the most accomplished players in 2K history.
- Meason “xMilo” Camille – xMilo was the first-ever player from Australia to be drafted into the NBA 2K League when he was selected in 2021 by Pistons GT. The power forward/center is back in the draft pool after his standout performances in the Australian Invitational and NBA 2K League Combine.
- Hamdi “NotEliteShooter” Deria – NotEliteShooter is known as a 3v3 specialist and helped guide “Handlez” to the semifinals of the Coinbase NBA2KL SLAM OPEN last season. The point guard and Canada-native was selected as one of two amateur players to participate in 2022 NBA 2K League All-Star Presented by Google Pixel.
- Ryan “Spam” Harris – Spam is arguably the most decorated amateur of the 2023 draft pool. The “pass first” point guard is a freshman at Old Dominion University majoring in Business Analytics and in contention for a top-3 pick.
- Donovan “SELDUM T5” Mass – An airman at Joint Base San Antonio, SELDUM T5 is the winner of the first-ever NBA 2K League Amateur of the Year and had two stints in 2022 as a temporary player with Cavs Legion GC and Blazer5 Gaming before leading amateur team “Rim Runners” to the semifinals of the NBA2KL 3v3 Championships last August.
- Tariq “Greens” Reed – A point guard from Brooklyn, NY and heralded as one of the best 3v3 players in the world and a potential top-3 selection, Greens is a pure scorer known for his dribbling and playmaking skills.
All 25 NBA 2K League teams, including the league’s expansion team representing Australia, NBL Oz Gaming, will have completed their five-person rosters for both 3v3 and 5v5 competitions at the end of the three-round draft. Hawks Talon GC will have the first overall pick, Nets GC will have the second overall selection, and Lakers Gaming will have the third overall pick. During the offseason, 78 players who competed in the 2022 season were retained by their teams and one player was selected as the first-ever NBL Oz Gaming player in the NBA 2K League Australian Invitational, leaving 47 roster spots to be filled during the draft. For the complete draft order, click here.
The broadcast will feature NBA 2K League President Brendan Donohue announcing select picks, interviews with VIP guests in attendance at the Draft party, live look-ins with draft prospects, NBA 2K League operations headquarters and select “war rooms” where teams will be strategizing and drafting from their respective markets, and clips from NBA 2K League original content series “Draft Hopefuls”.
The NBA 2K League will announce additional information related to the 2023 season in the coming months, including season structure, schedule and location, prize pool, and open qualifiers.
NBA 2K League 2023 Draft Order
ROUND 1
1. HawksTalon GC
2. NetsGC
3. Lakers Gaming
4. Blazer5 Gaming
5. NBL Oz Gaming
6. Pacers Gaming
7. Grizz Gaming
8. Kings Guard Gaming
9. Pacers Gaming
10. Hornets Venom GT
11. Heat Check Gaming
12. Gen.G Tigers
13. Dux Infinitos
14. Cavs Legion GC
15. Raptors Uprising GC
16. CLTX Gaming
17. Blazer5 Gaming
18. Pistons GT
19. Lakers Gaming
20. Pistons GT
21. NetsGC
ROUND 2
22. Mavs Gaming
23. Grizz Gaming
24. Pacers Gaming
25. Raptors Uprising GC
26. Raptors Uprising GC
27. 76ers GC
28. Kings Guard Gaming
29. Heat Check Gaming
30. Jazz Gaming
31. Hornets Venom GT
32. Dux Infinitos
33. Jazz Gaming
34. Pacers Gaming
35. CLTX Gaming
36. Raptors Uprising GC
37. Wizards District Gaming
38. Bucks Gaming
39. Wizards District Gaming
ROUND 3
40. Lakers Gaming
41. Mavs Gaming
42. Knicks Gaming
43. Gen.G Tigers
44. Jazz Gaming
45. Hornets Venom GT
46. Warriors Gaming
47. T-Wolves Gaming
