Kicking off on Sept. 23, the One Up x NBA 2K24 Championship Series welcomes gamers nationwide to compete in tournaments hosted by Jamal Murray, Paul George, Donovan Mitchell, & more.
On-demand esports platform One Up is teaming up with 20 NBA players led by Jamal Murray, Paul George, and Donovan Mitchell to host the inaugural One Up x NBA 2K24 Championship Series.
Following the release of NBA 2K24 on Sept. 8, this is the first activation One Up is hosting with Take-Two Interactive’s 2K brand as the official on-demand esports platform for the NBA 2K franchise. The on-demand esports platform announced its partnership with NBA 2K early last month with a goal to highlight amateur gamers through competitive gaming tournaments and online competitions.
“Our partnership with 2K is about lowering the barrier to enter esports competitions as we believe esports should be for all,” One Up CEO Brandon Pitts said in a statement. “We are pumped to be one of the first major tournaments for NBA 2K24 across multiple platforms and provide fans of the game the opportunity to compete against others with the chance to win game-changing cash prizes.”
The One Up x NBA 2K24 Championship Series is open to the public and will kick off on Sept. 23. One Up and the 20 participating NBA stars will award over $1 million in cash prizes to gamers who come to win. Each NBA player will host an online qualifying tournament, totaling 20 opportunities, between Sept. 23 and Jan. 20. The top 16 semifinalists will compete in an online tournament running from Feb. 3 to 4. Of that bunch, the top four players will advance to the finals in Miami on Feb. 15. The One Up x NBA® 2K24 Champion Series winner will receive $250,000, second place will take home $100,000, while third and fourth place players will receive $50,000 each.
The prize pool varies for each tournament. For instance, Murray, George, and Mitchell are all sponsoring competitions with $25,000 prize pools. Some NBA players are also hosting exhibition matches with $10,000 prize pools. For more information on the series’ rules and tournament and prize pool breakdown, check out One Up’s website.
The competition series is open to participants in the US, excluding Arizona and DC. Gamers must be at least 13 years old, have an active One Up account, and be able to access NBA 2K24 on PS5 or Xbox X/S consoles. Players are open to participating in as many qualifying tournaments as they’d like.
Registration opens Thursday, Sept. 14, at 1 p.m. ET via the Play One Up mobile app. Registration closes an hour before each tournament’s start time. The first tournament tips off on Sept. 23 at 3 p.m. ET. Fans can also follow the tournament series and view behind-the-scenes content with participating NBA players in One Up’s app.
Full One Up x NBA 2K24 Championship Series Qualifier Schedule with the Featured NBA Host:
Sept. 23 – Donovan Mitchell – Cleveland Cavaliers
Sept. 30 – Paul George – LA Clippers
Oct. 7 – Jamal Murray – Denver Nuggets
Oct. 14 – Cade Cunningham – Detroit Pistons
Oct. 21 – Deandre Ayton – Phoenix Suns
Oct. 28 – Khris Middleton – Milwaukee Bucks
Nov. 4 – John Collins – Utah Jazz
Nov. 11 – Karl-Anthony Towns – Minnesota Timberwolves
Nov. 18 – Seth Curry – Dallas Mavericks
Nov. 25 – Patrick Beverley – Philadelphia 76ers
Dec. 2 – Anfernee Simons – Portland Trail Blazers
Dec. 9 – Terry Rozier – Charlotte Hornets
Dec. 30 – Jalen Brunson – New York Knicks
Jan. 6 – Brandon Ingram – New Orleans Pelicans
Jan. 13 – Mike Conley, Jr. – Minnesota Timberwolves
Jan. 20 – Tyrese Haliburton – Indiana Pacers
One Up x NBA 2K24 Championship Series EXHIBITION Schedule with the Featured NBA Host:
Oct. 11 – Dorian Finney-Smith – Brooklyn Nets
Nov. 1 – Andre Drummond – Chicago Bulls
Nov. 22 – Andrew Wiggins – Golden State Warriors
Dec. 13 – De’Anthony Melton – Philadelphia 76ers