An Australian all-star exhibition esports team will take on trans-Tasman rival New Zealand on virtual NBA 2K courts in a five-game exhibition series as part of FIBA’s first-ever international esports competition for National Member Federations, the FIBA Esports Open 2020, to be held from 19-21 June 2020.
Basketball Australia has partnered with ESL, the world’s largest esports company, for consultation and to assemble a highly competitive roster of some of the country’s top esports athletes to represent Australia at the inaugural exhibition event.
Final team selections for the FIBA Esports Open 2020 were based on performances in the NBA2K20 Global Championships and recent online performances in NBA 2K competition.
TEAM AUSTRALIA ROSTER:
| 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 |
“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,” says Jerril Rechter, CEO of Basketball Australia.
“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 17 participating nations will be divided into five conferences, with Australia competing against New Zealand in a series of five games within the Oceania Conference. The winner of each respective conference will be the team with the most wins.
FIBA ESPORTS OPEN 2020 COMPETITION SCHEDULE FOR AUSTRALIA:
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)
Each game will be live streamed to a global audience on FIBA’s Facebook, Twitch and YouTube channels with live commentary in English.
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About Basketball Australia
Basketball Australia (BA) is the governing and controlling body for the sport of basketball in Australia. BA runs the Chemist Warehouse WNBL Championship, NWBL and WNWBL as well as 22 national teams and national junior championships. Basketball is an Olympic and Paralympic sport and shares one of the highest international profiles with over 1.1 million people currently playing basketball in Australia.
About 2K
Founded in 2005, 2K develops and publishes global interactive entertainment for console and handheld gaming systems, personal computers and mobile devices, with product availability including physical retail and digital download. The Company is home to many talented development studios, including Visual Concepts, Firaxis Games, Hangar 13, Cat Daddy Games, 31st Union and Cloud Chamber. 2K’s portfolio currently includes the renowned BioShock®, Borderlands™, Mafia and XCOM® franchises; NBA® 2K, the global phenomenon and highest rated* annual sports title for the current console generation; the critically acclaimed Sid Meier’s Civilization® series; the popular WWE® 2K and WWE® SuperCard franchises, as well as emerging properties NBA® 2K Playgrounds 2, Carnival Games and more. Additional information about 2K and its products may be found at 2k.com. * According to 2008 – 2020 Metacritic.com
About FIBA
FIBA (fiba.basketball) – the world governing body for basketball – is an independent association formed by 213 National Basketball Federations throughout the world. It is recognized as the sole competent authority in basketball by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). For further information about FIBA, visit fiba.basketball or follow FIBA on facebook.com/fiba, twitter.com/fiba, instagram.com/fiba
About ESL
ESL is the world’s largest esports company. Founded in 2000, ESL has been shaping the industry across the most popular video games with numerous online and offline esports competitions. The company operates high profile, branded international leagues and tournaments under the ESL Pro Tour including ESL One, Intel® Extreme Masters, ESL Pro League, and other premier stadium-size tournaments, to more clearly define the path from zero to hero. ESL also produces the ESL National Championships, grassroots amateur cups, and matchmaking systems, creating a world where everybody can be somebody. With offices all over the world, ESL is leading esports innovation on a global scale through the combination of global ESL competitions, amateur leagues, publisher activations, and more. ESL is a part of MTG, the leading international digital entertainment group. eslfaceitgroup.com