NBA 2k20 Players-Only Tournament

The absence of live sports has forced the entire sports community to be as innovative as possible. Per usual, the NBA is leading the way amongst the rest ofleagues. On April 3, the NBA partnered with NBA 2k to orchestrate a live, televised NBA 2k20 tournament full of only NBA players.

The 16-person tournament included the following matchups: (#1) Kevin Durant vs. (#16) Derrick Jones Jr, (#8) Montrezl Harrell vs. (#9) Domantas Sabonis, (#5) Devin Booker vs. (#12) Michael Porter Jr., (#4) Donovan Mitchell vs. (#13) Rui Hachimura, (#2) Trae Young vs. (#15) Harrison Barnes, (#7) Zach Lavine vs. (#10) DeAndre Ayton, (#6) Andre Drummond vs. (#11) DeMarcus Cousins, (#3) Hassan Whiteside vs. (#14) Patrick Beverley.

Drummond walked away with the most impressive win thus far, beating Cousins by 52 points. The final score to that beat down was 101-49.

The semi-finals are set for April 11. (#5) Devin Booker will take on (#8) Montrezl Harrell for their side of the bracket. The two underdogs according to the rankings - (#10) DeAndre Ayton and (#14) Patrick Beverley will round out the final four. The winner of the tournament will earn $100,000 for the charity of their choice.

Hopefully the NBA will set a new, more creative precedent for the rest of professional leagues looking to engage their fans.