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Phoenix Suns big Deandre Ayton hosting NBA 2K24 Championship Series qualifying tournament

Duane Rankin, Arizona Republic
·4 min read

Phoenix Suns big Deandre Ayton is one of 20 NBA players teaming up with One Up for the $1 million One Up X NBA 2K24 Championship Series with the NBA 2K24 Kobe Bryant Edition.

There are 16 qualifying tournaments and four exhibition tournaments all online with the tournament champion of the 16 qualifying finalists winning $250,000.

The tournament excludes Arizona residents, according to the news release. Officials later informed The Republic that Arizona is excluded because "skilled gaming is prohibited and not legal" in the state.

An avid NBA2K gamer, Ayton is hosting an online tournament Oct. 21. The Suns open the 2023-24 regular season Oct. 24 at Golden State on the NBA's opening night.

Here's the list of 16 NBA players hosting the online qualifying tournaments.

Cavaliers guards Donovan Mitchell, left, and Darius Garland, right, laugh during the second half against the Utah Jazz, Monday, Dec. 19, 2022, in Cleveland.
Cavaliers guards Donovan Mitchell, left, and Darius Garland, right, laugh during the second half against the Utah Jazz, Monday, Dec. 19, 2022, in Cleveland.

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USA's Tyrese Haliburton gestures during the FIBA Basketball World Cup Semi-Finals match between USA and Germany in Manila on September 8, 2023.

The 16 finalists compete in an online tournament Feb. 3-4. The semifinals and finals will be played Feb. 15 in Miami as the four finalists will be flown to the city for it.

The tournament runner-up takes $100,000 while third-place and fourth-place finishers receive $50,000 each. The fifth through eighth place will bank $25,000 each.

The top 16 finalists of each qualifier tournament will capture $20,000, the 16 runners-up get $4,000 each and those finishing third or fourth will receive $500 each.

There is also a four exhibition tournaments that each have a $10,000 prize pool and being hosted by Dorian Finney-Smith (Brooklyn Nets) on Oct. 11, Andre Drummond (Chicago Bulls) on Nov. 1, Andrew Wiggins (Golden State Warriors) on Nov. 22 and De'Anthony Melton (Philadelphia 76ers) on Dec. 13.

Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, right, shoots a 3-point basket over Phoenix Suns forward Dario Saric during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023.
Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins, right, shoots a 3-point basket over Phoenix Suns forward Dario Saric during the first half of an NBA basketball game in San Francisco, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023.

The exhibition tournament champion wins $8,000, second place takes home $1,000 while third and fourth place get $500 each. Gamers can compete in the exhibitions and qualifying tournaments.

Game participants can enter the competition for free beginning Thursday at 10 a.m. on the Play One Up mobile app on Apple or Android.

Gamers must have the following to compete in the tournament.

  • Residents of the U.S. and D.C. (excluding Arizona).

  • Age 13 or older.

  • Have valid One Up account.

  • Access to NBA 2K24 on PS5 or Xbox X/S.

  • Have internet access and access to a PSN ID with the PS Plus Service or an Xbox X/S with a gamertag and the Xbox Gold service.

Phoenix Suns schedule, TV channels: How to watch, stream games in 2023-24 NBA season

Eligible players can compete in one or more of the 16 qualifying tournaments beginning Sept. 23 at noon. Registration closes one hour prior to starting time for each qualifying tournament.

One Up is the official on-demand esports platform for NBA2K.

“Our partnership with 2K is about lowering the barrier to enter esports competitions as we believe esports should be for all,” said One Up CEO Brandon Pitts in a news release. “We are pumped to be one of the first major tournaments for NBA 2K24 across multiple platforms and provide fans of the game the opportunity to compete against others with the chance to win game-changing cash prizes.”

Have opinion about current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-787-1240. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Deandre Ayton hosts One Up X NBA 2K24 Championship qualifying tourney