NBA2K eyes more Philippine events

MANILA, Philippines – With the success of the NBA 2K League Asia-Pacific Invitational the past weekend, the league's Head of Business Development, Lindsey Ullman, said Filipino fans should tune in for more as this is just the beginning for the game.

"We are planning to come [back] for next year. This is a really good starting point," Ullman told members of the media during the grand finals.

For Ullman, It had been a no-brainer for the league to choose Manila as the venue for the regional invitational after having events in London, Seoul and Hong Kong.

"I think it's clear that Manila is absolutely the perfect place, particularly how big basketball and the NBA is here. And on top of that, when we look at 2K, the Philippines is one of the top countries in Southeast Asia playing 2K. For us, it was a natural choice in terms of culture, fandom, and excitement, which makes complete sense. It was a no-brainer," shared Ullman.

As for future events, Ullman explained that NBA and NBA2K's broadcast partner Cignal will be running grassroots events for the league throughout the year, and that the invitational was the start of greater things to come.

"This is honestly like the launching point for us because this is our first event but with [Cignal] running events throughout the year, when we go back and start the regular season, we anticipate to see a lot more talent in the region," she continued.

The league currently plans to hold in-person events like the NBA2K League Invitationals at least one year, and virtual events sporadically throughout the year.

In terms of seeing NBA2K as an esports event for sports conferences like the Southeast Asian Games and the Asian Games, Ullman said it is something they are open to explore.

"I learned a little about it. It's something we hope to evaluate. I can't say that we're in but we're definitely not opposed to exploring things like that," said Ullman.