FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, has partnered with 2K, the publisher of NBA 2K, and the NBA 2K League to create an exceptional platform for organizing international events for National Federations and the esports gaming community. This multiyear agreement aims to strengthen the connection between eFIBA events and the NBA 2K League, offering regional talent identification opportunities and allowing eFIBA participants to take part in NBA 2K League events or the NBA 2K League Draft. Furthermore, the collaboration establishes a clear national team competition system.

The eFIBA calendar will feature Qualifiers, four Regional Finals (Africa, Asia including Oceania, Americas, and Europe), and the eFIBA World Finals each year. To expand the reach of esports and make it more accessible and appealing to new players, the first eFIBA window will be launched in partnership with ESL FACEIT Group (EFG) this fall.

In addition to enhancing esports, this partnership will contribute to the growth of the global basketball audience in line with FIBA’s fan engagement strategy. FIBA aims to tap into the highly engaged ‘Gen Z’ demographic, which has a strong interest in esports, thus leveraging the rising popularity of esports to cultivate a new generation of basketball fans.

FIBA’s close collaboration with the NBA 2K League and 2K is crucial in fulfilling its vision of uniting National Federations and esports players worldwide. NBA 2K, the top-rated and top-selling NBA video game simulation series for the past 21 years*, offers an innovative platform for showcasing skills and passion for online gaming.

Moreover, this agreement aligns with FIBA’s mission to establish a structured global competitive gaming ecosystem for national teams, ultimately elevating the popularity of esports and expanding the FIBA Family. Cultivating a new community of fans and players is another important aspect of this collaboration.

An integral part of this partnership involves welcoming more National Federations to the esports ecosystem. FIBA will encourage and support these federations in entering national teams for participation in the newly created competitions.

The Confederation of Australian Sport (CAS) eagerly anticipates the advancements within the esports space and looks forward to further developments in this field.

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Photo Courtesy FIBA Basketball

Courtesy FIBA Basketball