NBA 2K League Announces 2022 Draft Date; Mavs Gaming Holds First Overall Pick

Mavs Gaming now knows when it will make the first pick of the 2022 NBA 2K League Draft. Today, the league announced that it will hold a virtual draft on February 26 at 6 p.m. ET. The draft will be livestreamed on the league’s YouTube and Twitch channels. 

This season is also the fifth anniversary of the NBA 2K League and the second time Mavs Gaming has had the first overall pick. Mavs Gaming had the first pick in the league’s inaugural draft in 2018. For the franchise, it’s an opportunity to build an identity through the draft. 

“We emphasized this being a new era in Dallas,” Mavs Gaming Head Coach LT Fairley said in November. “With landing the first overall pick, it speaks to that. We understand the opportunity we have in front of us, and we won’t let it go to waste.”

Mavs Gaming won the NBA 2K League Draft Lottery in November. After finishing last season with a 9-19, the team only had a 10.2% chance of winning the first overall pick. 

The team is rebuilding after trading away Artreyo “Dimez” Boyd last season. Mavs Gaming protected and retained Gerry Knapp aka “Sick One” and Zaeya “Zae” Ishak. They’ll have to fill the rest of their five-person roster through the three-round draft.

Marking its fifth anniversary, the league is also launching a season-long campaign called #NBA2KL5. It will highlight players and top performances throughout the history of the 2K League. 

“Since the league’s inaugural season in 2018, we have grown domestically and internationally to 24 teams and witnessed incredible moments–both on and off the virtual court–with the hundreds of NBA 2K League players who have made the league what it is today,” NBA 2K League President Brendan Donohue said in a press release.

“The NBA 2K League’s fifth anniversary season is not only a tribute to those teams, players and countless individuals who have been a part of the league’s history, but also a celebration of the next five years and beyond. We are thrilled to tip off this next chapter in our history with the 2022 Draft.”

With the first pick, Mavs Gaming will select from a pool of players consisting of unretained players, players who earned draft eligibility, select participants in the NBA 2K League’s Women in Gaming initiative, select competitors from Asia, Europe and high-performing players in the 2K community.

The league will release a complete list of all players eligible for the draft at a later date.

The 2022 NBA 2K League Draft broadcast will feature Donohue announcing select picks and originally produced content. It will also highlight live look-ins on prospects, team “war rooms” and league operations headquarters.