NBA 2K21 has predicted a new season and the results are very interesting. The game’s Twitter account broke it down for the masses. A nice graphic from 2K’s social team has Dallas Mavericks forward Luka Doncic claiming his first MVP this season. But, the surprises don’t end there with Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetekounpo repeating as Defensive Player of the Year. With the new crop of rookies, there’s been a ton of excitement and none more talked about than LaMelo Ball, who 2K thinks could become Rookie of the Year down in Charlotte. Brooklyn has looked very impressive to start the season, and Spencer Dinwiddie runs the show for their bench. The game believes he could be 6th Man of the Year for the Nets. In a not-so-shocking moment, the game has LeBron James poised to repeat as Finals MVP after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to the Championship in the bubble last season.

The NBA2K21 tournament — a free, online-based program — is scheduled to take place at noon Dec. 22.
nba 2k21
The event aims to connect teens — 13 to 17 years old — on a virtual platform during the COVID-19 pandemic, where they can compete in a single-elimination, 32-player bracket.

The tournament will be played on both PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 along with Xbox One consoles.

Each participant must be a Chicago resident and have access to an Xbox or PlayStation console, a copy of NBA 2K 2021, a stable internet connection and access to Zoom, the video conferencing website.

Chicago-based video gaming experience company I Play Games!, the tournament’s co-host, was founded by Kevin Fair, a Morgan Park High School graduate.

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association announced on Nov. 9 that they’ve struck a deal on rules for the 2020-21 season, which will start on Dec. 22. On November 10, the NBA’s Board of Governors  approved the amended Collective Bargaining Agreement for 2020-21 by a unanimous vote, allowing the 2020-21 season to begin. The NBA announced the structure and format of the 2020-21 season, including a playoff Play-In Tournament on Nov. 17.

The parties have agreed in principle to the following:

  • The 2020-21 season will begin on Tuesday December 22;
  • The 2020-21 season will feature each team playing a 72-game schedule. The full regular-season and broadcast schedules will be released at a future date;
  • A new system will be used to ensure the parties’ agreed-upon split of basketball-related income (BRI). In the event player compensation were to exceed the players’ designated share in any season necessary salary reductions beyond the standard 10 percent escrow would be spread across that season and potentially the following two seasons subject to a maximum salary reduction in any season of 20 percent;
  • For the 2020-21 season the Salary Cap will be $109.140 million and the Tax Level will be $132.627 million. In subsequent seasons of the CBA the Salary Cap and Tax Level will increase by a minimum of three percent and a maximum of 10 percent over the prior season. Teams’ Tax payments will be reduced in proportion to any BRI decreases; and
  • Free agent negotiations will begin on November 20 at 6 p.m. (ET) with signings starting at 12:01 p.m. (ET) on November 22.

“It’s an exciting time for veteran and new ballers around the world – the next-gen version NBA 2K21 is now available on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S! Though we’ve only just launched, the Visual Concepts team is already working hard on making sure players have a great experience in the game. Our first update for NBA 2K21 on next-gen is now available*, bringing updates to player likeness, performance improvements in The City, polish changes and fixes across MyCAREER and more.”

About 200 U.S. colleges offered $16 million in esports scholarships during the 2018-19 school year — three times the amount offered in 2015, according to recent studies. For more information, please visit z2u.com.