Charlotte Hornets Affiliate to Compete Starting With 2020 NBA 2K League Season

NEW YORK, April 3, 2019 – The NBA 2K League today announced that an affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets will join the NBA 2K League for the league’s third season, which will begin in 2020.  Charlotte joins 21 other franchisesthat currently compete in the NBA 2K League.

“We are excited to welcome Charlotte to the NBA 2K League as the first expansion team for our third season,” said NBA 2K League Managing Director Brendan Donohue.  “With North Carolina’s rich basketball history and the Hornets organization’s commitment to innovation and fan engagement, we know they will be a great addition to the NBA 2K League family.” 

“Hornets Sports & Entertainment is thrilled to bring the next professional sports league franchise to Charlotte,” said Hornets President & Vice Chairman Fred Whitfield.  “The popularity and growth of esports both in the U.S. and internationally continues to rise at a tremendous rate.  Our NBA 2K League affiliate will provide us with another opportunity to extend the HSE brand and reach a highly-coveted as well as hard to reach younger demographic of fans.  We look forward to joining the NBA 2K League in 2020 and bringing the exciting, fast-paced and entertaining esports action to the fans of Charlotte.”

The NBA 2K League’s second season began yesterday with THE TIPOFF powered by AT&T and concludes Saturday, August 3 with the 2019 NBA 2K League Finals.  The 18-week season is comprised of weekly matchups and three tournaments, culminating with the NBA 2K League Playoffs and Finals.  All regular-season games will take place at the NBA 2K League Studio Powered by Intel in Long Island City, New York, and will be livestreamed on the league’s Twitch channel.

For more information, fans can follow the NBA 2K League on Twitter (NBA2KLeague), Instagram (nba2kleague), Facebook (NBA 2K League), YouTube (NBA 2K League) and visit NBA2KLeague.com.

About the NBA 2K League 

The NBA 2K League, a professional esports league co-founded by the NBA and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO), launched in 2018 and features the best NBA 2K players in the world.  Each of the league’s 21 teams features six players who compete as unique characters in 5-on-5 play against the other teams in a mix of regular-season games, tournaments and playoffs.  Knicks Gaming won the first-ever NBA 2K League Finals on Saturday, Aug. 25, 2018.  The league’s second season takes place from April-August 2019.  For more information about the NBA 2K League, visit NBA2KLeague.com.


About Hornets Sports & Entertainment

Hornets Sports & Entertainment owns the Charlotte Hornets and Greensboro Swarm and operates Charlotte’s Spectrum Center.  The Charlotte Hornets are a member of the NBA’s Southeast Division.  Owned by NBA Legend Michael Jordan, the Hornets organization strives to deliver a relentless attack on the court, an unmatched experience in the stands and a positive impact throughout the community.  The name of the city’s original NBA team from 1988-2002, the Hornets moniker returned to Charlotte in May 2014, uniting the rich history of NBA basketball in the Carolinas.  The Greensboro Swarm are the NBA G League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets and play at the Fieldhouse at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex.  Spectrum Center is the premier destination for sports and entertainment in the Carolinas, hosting over 150 sporting events, concerts and family shows annually.  For more information, please visithornets.com, gsoswarm.com or spectrumcentercharlotte.com.