NBA 2K League announces draft lottery, selection event details

PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 01: Gamers play the video game 'NBA 2K18' developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports on Sony PlayStation game consoles PS4 Pro during the 'Paris Games Week' on November 01, 2017 in Paris, France. 'Paris Games Week' is an international trade fair for video games to be held from October 31 to November 5, 2017. (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - NOVEMBER 01: Gamers play the video game 'NBA 2K18' developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports on Sony PlayStation game consoles PS4 Pro during the 'Paris Games Week' on November 01, 2017 in Paris, France. 'Paris Games Week' is an international trade fair for video games to be held from October 31 to November 5, 2017. (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)

The final details leading up to the inaugural season of the NBA 2K League are coming together, as the event details for both the draft lottery and the draft itself have now been announced by the league.

Those NBA 2K League hopefuls who are still in the running for a spot among the 102 players who will be eligible for the first-ever draft can now look toward a specific time and place to find out when they might be selected. On Friday, March 9, the league made official the details for both the draft lottery and the actual draft.

According to a press release, the draft lottery will be held on Tuesday, March 13 at 1:00 p.m. ET. The lottery will be conducted in a fashion very similar to the NBA Draft Lottery. One ping pong ball featuring the logo of each of the 17 teams will be put into the pool, giving each of the teams an equal chance at obtaining the first pick. The order will be revealed on the league’s Twitter account as the lottery unfolds.

The draft will consist of six rounds in a snake format, meaning the team with the last pick in the first round will have the first pick in the second round, and so on.

The draft itself will take place on Wednesday, April 4 at 1:00 p.m. ET at The Hulu Theater in Madison Square Garden’s Lobby in New York. What’s left for the league to announce regarding this event are details about how fans can watch the draft live. The press release states that information will be forthcoming soon. It’s also not yet been announced how many, if any, of the 102 eligible players may be in attendance at the event.

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The anticipation for the first professional esports league built around the most popular basketball esports brand in the world has never been higher. Now that the draft details are finalized, the reality of the first season is looming large.