FIBA, Basketball Australia, ESL and NBA 2K have today announed the very first FIBA Esports Open. This is the first-ever international esports competition for National teams and will see 17 nations compete.
Taking place June 19-21, 2020, this exhibition series of basketball will see Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Cyprus, Indonesia, Italy, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, New Zealand, the Philippines, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Switzerland and Ukraine going head to head.
Teams will include seven players — five on court and two reserves– and games will be played remotely with the NBA 2K Pro-Am mode. This gives teams full customisation of avatars, uniforms and arenas.
NBA 2K Esports
The Australian team will face-off against New Zealand as the 17 competing nations are separated into conferences. Australia and New Zealand will play five teams and the winner will be the team with most wins.
The Australian team is;
| PSN Name | Full Name | Primary Position | Bio Notes |
| AnkleTV | Jonte Burns | Small Forward | Two time ANZ Champion |
| Waurk | Benjamin Klobas | Point Guard | Taking home a first place finish in two recent ANZ NBA 2k20 tournaments and receiving an ‘MVP’ award in both, Waurk’s Point Guard play is among the best in the region |
| Range | Eric Lim | Point Guard | The most experienced player on the ANZ Squad, Range has experience competing with fellow teammate Squoogs |
| Squoogs | Max Ellwood | Centre | With multiple championships under his belt, including the 2K Downunder League (2KDL) & Australian My Player League (AMPL), Squoogs is known for his strong Centre play |
| DunkGod | Cameron Sloper | Power Forward | Recent results include a 5th place finish in the APAC Regional Finals for Play Now, DunkGod is an active NBA2k20 Twitch streamer, broadcasting on Twitch.tv/DunkGod |
| CQOPR | Cooper Cameron | Shooting Guard | Two time ANZ Champion |
Team selections for the FIBA Esports Open 2020 have been based on NBA2K20 Global Championships and “recent online performances.” Jerril Rechter, CEO of Basketball Australia said;
Basketball Australia is excited to participate in its first esports event in partnership with FIBA and gaming industry leaders like ESL and NBA 2K and we look forward to seeing the team take to the virtual court at the FIBA Esports Open 2020.
The FIBA Esports Open gives Basketball Australia a new avenue for engaging the Australian basketball and gaming communities and an opportunity to further grow the profile of the game in this country.
The FIBA Esports Open 2020 series will be produced at the brand-new FIBA Esports Studio in Latvia. Each day, fans will be treated to a four-hour show featuring up to six games. Games will be livestreamed on Facebook, Twitch and YouTube.
Australia’s schedule is as follows;
- Day 1 (June 19)
- Game 1: New Zealand vs. Australia (8:45pm AEST)
- Game 2: Australia vs. New Zealand (9:25pm AEST)
- Day 2 (June 20)
- Game 3: New Zealand vs. Australia (8:45pm AEST)
- Day 3 (June 21)
- Game 4: Australia vs. New Zealand (8:45pm AEST)
- Game 5: New Zealand vs. Australia (9:25pm AEST)
