With the NBA and other traditional sports leagues still on hold, more and more fans are turning to the digital world to get their fix of their favorite sport. Following the success of NASCAR’s iRacing over the last two weekends, some NBA players have decided to showcase their talents on the virtual hardwood in a 16-player, single-elimination tournament. There are betting odds on who will win this tournament and odds to win each individual game available at BookMaker.
Coverage of the NBA2K Players Tournament will kickoff on Friday, April 3, at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. After the initial showdown between Kevin Durant and Derrick Jones Jr., coverage will move to ESPN2 from 8:30 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. ET. The other four first-round games will be played on Sunday, April 5, from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2, and the quarterfinals will take place on Tuesday, April 7, from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET on ESPN2. The semifinals and finals will be broadcast on ESPN on Saturday, April 11.
Devin Booker +450
Deandre Ayton +450
Donovan Mitchell +847
Kevin Durant +850
Demarcus Cousins +1023
Zach LaVine +1100
Rui Hachimura +1100
Harrison Barnes +1200
Derrick Jones Jr. +1200
Hassan Whiteside +1300
Patrick Beverley +1337
Montrezl Harrell +1337
Trae Young +1500
Andre Drummond +1548
Michael Porter Jr. +1548
Domantas Sabonis +2084
The intense Phoenix heat during the summer might be why two Suns’ players are co-favorites to win the NBA2K Players Tournament. Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton are seen as the two players most likely to take home the title per the oddsmakers, and their background is a large part of that. Booker is an avid Twitch streamer, even finding out that the NBA season was suspended while streaming Call of Duty. His main love is first-person shooters, but he has been grinding away on the sticks to get ready for this tournament.
Meanwhile, Ayton is no stranger to the gaming scene either. While he hasn’t been as active as Booker, he has openly discussed how often he played Fortnite at the University of Arizona. However, Fortnite skills don’t transfer over to other video games as readily as skills in other FPS shooters, so I would stay away from Ayton at this price.
Mitchell has been active on Twitch since the season was suspended, entering two different Call of Duty tournaments with other NBA players and former pros. He showed off his NBA2K skills last week by beating Ronnie2K 101-94, but he has a tough path to the final in that he will likely have to play Booker provided he gets past Rui Hachimura.
The big wildcard coming into this tournament is Kevin Durant. Durant has been sidelined the entire season with an Achilles’ tendon injury, so he has had plenty of time to hone his skills. However, it appears that Durant has largely focused on other pursuits. He was an executive producer on the movie Q Ball, and his last tweet about NBA2K prior to this tournament was to complain about the game’s transition defense mechanics.
Demarcus Cousins could be the shrewdest play on the board at this price. Cousins is over 10-1 to win the tournament, and his gaming credentials are solid. He has teamed up with NRG Esports in the last two weeks and is taking part in their various video game tournaments, and he has had time to practice too as he has been injured for most of the last two seasons.
If you’re looking for a longer shot, you have to take one of the two players whose odds translate to being elite. Patrick Beverley’s persistent trash talk has been known to throw opponents off their games on the court, and that could translate over to this event. Beverley is an intense competitor, and he has hinted that he has been hooked on video games for the last three weeks.
At BookMaker Sportsbook, our team of writers breaks down every betting matchup on the wagering board. Open an account and get in on the action today!
