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With the NBA regular season on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic, the league is looking for a way to fill the void in the action. One of those ideas has reportedly led to the NBA planning a players-only NBA 2K tournament that would be broadcast live.
According to Yahoo! Sports, the NBA would pick some of the best gamers from a number of teams to have them face off in a televised tournament on ESPN.
If everything were to go as planned, the tournament could start as soon as Friday. The idea comes at a time when the federal government extended its social-distancing measures in hope of slowing down the spread of COVID-19.
The league is aiming to have some of the NBA’s top stars participate to generate additional interest.
From the report:
The league hopes to launch the event Friday, with the 16-player tournament lasting 10 days and including Utah Jazz All-Star Donovan Mitchell and four-time All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, among other big-name players, sources said. With the sports landscape on pause due to the coronavirus pandemic and the federal government extending the social-distancing measure to at least April 30, the league has been forced to evaluate the safest way to bring basketball fans some action.
The move would be a win-win for everyone involved.
Fans are looking for anything to fill the major void coronavirus has brought upon us by suspending or postponing all major sports, while the league and ESPN are both desperate for original programming.
The league suspended the season on March 11, 2020, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and there is no word on when or if play will resume this season.
