ESPN Player to air exclusive coverage of The Basketball Tournament
June 28, 2018
The Basketball Tournament (TBT) – the $2 million, winner-take-all summer basketball event will air live and on-demand on ESPN Player, ESPN’s direct-to-consumer service in EMEA.
The knock-out contest features more than 60 players with NBA experience, 27 college alumni teams, and elite overseas professionals who play in top leagues all over the world. Multiple current NBA players will be participating in TBT this summer, either as players or coaches, while 21 TBT players competed in NCAA basketball this past season.
Most of the 72 teams earn their way into the tournament by soliciting support from fans via social, digital and all other forms of media. The teams are then seeded within four regions: Northeast, Midwest, South and West.
ESPN Player’s extensive coverage of the action begins on its Select channel early on the morning of Friday June 29 and culminates in the $2 Million Championship game on Friday August 3. Every game will be available live and on-demand as teams compete to progress from their regional groups to the Super 16, from where the semi-finals are just two wins away.
Fans share in the winning, too, as the top 201 fans of the winning team will share $200,000 of the prize. During the 2017-18 season, 16 players who competed in TBT 2017 signed deals with NBA teams. Players with NBA experience who are set to be involved in this year’s tournament include four-time All-Star and 2008 NBA Champion Rajon Rondo, and 10-time NBA All-Star Carmelo Anthony among multiple former lottery picks and All-Stars with 11 NBA championships between them.
Overseas Elite, the three-time defending TBT champions, will put their undefeated 19-0 record on the line in 2018, led by two-time TBT MVP Kyle Fogg and an all-star supporting cast. The team is made up of American stars currently playing in top leagues around the world, who have taken home an astounding $5 million over three years.