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| NBA 2K League APAC Invitational Champions NO WAY OUT (Image Source: NBA.com Philippines) |
The love for basketball has only grown bigger here in the Philippines and it has made its way into the eSports scene through the NBA 2K League APAC Invitational which was hosted in the Philippines for the first time in the league's history. Held last November 17-18, 2023 at the High Grounds Cafe in Quezon City and broadcasted live on NBA 2K League’s Twitch and YouTube channels, NBA TV Philippines, and Cignal’s Pilipinas Live app, eight teams consisting of forty players from the Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, and China competed in a best-of-three, 5v5 single elimination bracket, in NBA 2K24 Pro-Am mode. At stake was a grand prize of $5,000 (or nearly Php280,000) and the elusive chance to join the 2024 NBA 2K League Draft. In the end, Australia’s NO WAY OUT came out of the contest as winners but their road to gold was far from easy.
The heavy favorite coming into the tournament was eGilas Pilipinas who was recently hailed as regional champions of eFIBA Open Season 2 (Asian qualifiers). During that stint, the Filipinos snagged more than a hundred points against India twice. However, Naos eSports, another Philippine eSports team, fended them off for the upset. Naos eSports’ Michael “NAOS_LikeMike” Villegas led the charge with his 3-pointers in the last quarter of the deciding match, coming up with 20 points and an 86 percent efficiency from beyond the arc. Then they took out China’s Trapper in an overtime win in the semifinals. In the finals of the tournament, Naos eSports had to face NO WAY OUT, who interestingly were supposed to be already out of the tournament. However, the supposed qualifying team in the semifinals, Aegis Indonesia Patriots, got disqualified due to health protocol-related issues, paving the way for the Australian team to face Naos eSports in the finals. In the championship match, the Australians maximized the opportunity and defeated Naos eSports, 2-0, with a 52-35 final score.
“Despite falling short, we're thankful for the opportunity to compete in the NBA 2K League APAC Invitational. Never in our lives did we expect to be here and so it was an honor and a privilege to represent the Philippines in the finals. This experience will definitely be a core memory for our team," said Juan Gabriel "NAOS_SpamGod" Dela Pena of Naos eSports. With the success of the NBA 2K League APAC Invitational, Filipino basketball and eSports fans should expect more of these in the coming months. Speaking to the press during the invitational's conclusion, NBA 2K League's head of business development Lindsay Ullman said that the recent APAC Invitational is only the start of many competitions in the Philippines, noting that Manila is a perfect fit to hold tournaments for the basketball video game. "This is honestly like the perfect launching point for us because this is our first event (in Manila), however, we know we cannot run events throughout the entirety of the year," Ullman said.
Ullman added, "There will be some virtual events that will lead up to our in-person culmination which will be back here in Manila again next year. I think it's clear that Manila is absolutely the perfect place particularly because of how big basketball and the NBA (are) here, and then on top of that when we look at 2K, the Philippines is one of the top countries in Southeast Asia in playing 2K. So for us, just the natural fit, in terms of culture, fandom, and excitement, makes the place [perfect]." The 2K executive also announced that NBA players are set to become ambassadors to promote the game. "Actually we just completed a deal with the NBPA or (NBA) Players Association, we're really excited about that... That will give us the opportunity to let NBA players play with our players, have them Twitch broadcast, (and) participate in events. We think that's fantastic because NBA players are 2K players and they're also really good at the game. We're excited to better align our properties together," said Ullman.
