The NBA 2K League announced on Thursday the NBA 2K League European Invitational, the league's first European qualifying event. Set to take place Dec. 13-14, the tournament will allow European players to be eligible for the 2020 draft.
Twenty players from seven countries will compete in scrimmages and a double-elimination tournament, with the latter being streamed on Twitch and YouTube. Players will also participate in interviews with teams and league reps.
"Building on the success of last season's APAC Invitational, which identified several draft-eligible players from the Asia Pacific region, it is important for us to further strengthen our player pool by providing more opportunities for top international players to qualify for the 2020 NBA 2K League Draft," NBA 2K League managing director Brendan Donohue said.
At the end of the weekend, league representatives will select which players are eligible for the draft. A draft date has not yet been announced.
Next season will mark the third season of the NBA 2K League, which has seen steady broadcast numbers since its launch two years ago. On Twitch, the 2K League has accrued more than 25 million views, more than 100,000 followers and an average of more than 7,000 average concurrent viewers per broadcast, according to Twitchtracker.com. At the end of the first season, the league expanded to 21 teams by adding Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Minnesota and Atlanta. Two more teams will be added in 2020 from Shanghai and Charlotte.