One Up x NBA 2K24 Championship Series

The One Up x NBA 2K24 Championship Series represents a strategic collaboration between the on-demand esports platform One Up, 2K Games, and 20 professional NBA players. The primary objective of this initiative is to engage the gaming community through a large-scale, public-facing competitive tournament series for NBA 2K24. By leveraging the influence of high-profile athletes such as Jamal Murray, Paul George, and Donovan Mitchell, the partnership aims to bridge the gap between traditional professional sports and digital esports competition.

The tournament series, which spans from September 23, 2023, to February 15, 2024, is exclusive to residents of the United States and the District of Columbia, excluding Arizona. Participants must be at least 13 years old and possess the necessary hardware, including a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S, along with active online service subscriptions. The competition structure involves 20 online qualifying tournaments, each hosted by an NBA player, leading to an online bracket and culminating in a final in-person event held in Miami.

Financial incentives are a central component of the series, which features a total prize pool of $1 million USD. The structure rewards top performers throughout the qualifying stages and the final championship, with the ultimate winner receiving $250,000. Additionally, the series includes smaller exhibition matches hosted by NBA players, each offering a $10,000 prize pool. While the financial terms of the partnership between the organizers were not disclosed, the event highlights a significant investment in community-driven esports engagement within the North American market.