The NBA 2K League Combine has wrapped up, all 250 NBA 2K League hopefuls have been notified via email that they have been selected as the top 250 players in the world. These top 250 will be narrowed down to the final 102 players who will be drafted to make up the inaugural season of the NBA 2K League. This process will be done using a combo of 2K League combine data and analytics, online application components, and virtual live interviews with the players.
NBA 2K League Managing Director, Brendan Donahue, has outlined more in detail how the selection process was conducted, and how the 102 final players will be selected.
Also be sure to check out this article for a ton of info on the upcoming NBA 2K League!
Read below for the full post:
To the NBA 2K Community:
This has been a milestone week for the league! We have just finished notifying the top 250 players who will advance to the next stage of qualifying, and I want to extend my sincerest congratulations to that group.
We were thrilled, impressed and honored when 72,000 of you notched 50 wins in Pro-Am mode this January to move on to the combine. There were far more amazing players than we have roster spots and we wanted to share how the overall evaluation process worked.
The process included:
- In-depth statistics: During the combine, statistics such as points, rebounds and assists were captured, as were much deeper data points, such as dribble move count and jump shot timing. These are data points that have never been measured before. These data points were gathered by 2K and provided to the league following every block of combine windows. While the league provided a dashboard for players to see a number of their statistics, they were a small subset of the data points taken into consideration.
- Data analytics model: The 2K League worked with an external data analytics firm, as well as experts from the NBA and 2K, to create an analytics model that algorithmically evaluated players’ statistics and determined who the top players were and ranked them accordingly.
- Online application: The league used game statistics to narrow down to the top 1,000 players. At that point, the league evaluated the online application of top players to gain an understanding of who each of these applicants were as people and potential teammates by listening to their audio submission and reading through their written responses in the application. Players had to complete a basketball and 2K IQ test as well as answer questions such as “Why do you want to play in the NBA 2K League?”
To narrow the top 250 down to 102, a selection committee comprised of representatives from the NBA 2K League office, 2K and the NBA will review and evaluate all components of the tryout process, which include:
- Combine data and analytics
- Online application components
- Virtual live interviews
Our goal was to create an evaluation process that utilizes the same level of scrutiny, integrity, professionalism and attention to all factors that make up a player, as every other professional league. Going through this first-ever tryout process with you was an incredible ride and the most exciting part is that it’s only just begun, as we now move on to identifying our first-ever class of 2K League pros.
Thank you again to everyone who participated in our tryouts and congratulations again to the top 250!
Best,
Brendan Donohue
