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.
|
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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