Skip to content
British Basketball
British Basketball
Home of GB Basketball
  • Teams
    • GB Men
    • GB Women
      • FIBA Women’s Eurobasket Qualifiers 2021
    • GB U20 Men
      • FIBA U20 European Championship 2019
    • GB U20 Women
      • FIBA U20 Women European Championship 2019 Division B
    • GB U18 Men
      • FIBA U18 European Championship 2019
    • GB U18 Men 3×3
      • FIBA Europe 3×3 U18 Men – Italy
    • GB U18 Women
      • FIBA U18 Women European Championship 2019 Division B
    • GB U18 Women 3×3
      • FIBA Europe 3×3 U18 Women – Italy
    • GB U16 Men
      • FIBA U16 European Championship 2019 Division B
    • GB U16 Women
      • FIBA U16 Women European Championship 2019 Division B
  • About
    • Board of Directors
    • Policies & Regulations
    • Home Nation Boards
    • Partners & Sponsors
    • Coaching
      • FIBA Coaching Resources
      • WABC
      • Club Skills Guide
    • GB Officiating
      • 3×3 Officiating
    • Vacancies
    • INFORMATION LINKS
    • Contact
  • TicketS
  • News
    • GB Men
    • GB Women
    • GB U20 Men
    • GB U20 Women
    • GB U18 Men
    • GB U18 Men 3×3
    • GB U18 Women
    • GB U18 Women 3×3
    • GB U16 Men
    • GB U16 Women
    • Basketball England
    • Basketball Scotland
    • Basketball Wales
    • BBL
    • WBBL
  • Media
    • GB Press Release
    • Media Accreditation
    • Media Photography – Film Policy
  • .basketball Domain
  • GB Archives
    • History
    • FIBA Archive – Great Britain
  • BBF & FIBA Player Transfer & License Forms
  • GB Anti Doping & Integrity Information
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram

British Basketball and British Esports join forces for NBA 2K

9th November 2020

Two national bodies are teaming up to represent the very best that Great Britain has to offer in a new basketball esports tournament.

The British Basketball Federation will be working closely with the British Esports Association to select and manage a team of NBA 2K21 esports players.

This team will represent Great Britain on the global stage in the upcoming FIBA Esports Open II, taking place throughout November and December.

Team GB will be led by 23-year-old British professional NBA 2K esports player, Harry ‘HazzaUK’ Hurst, who plays for Knicks Gaming. HazzaUK will captain the British side and will help select the players, with the full line-up to be announced over the coming weeks.

FIBA, the International Basketball Federation, has announced an expanded field of 38 national teams taking part in the second edition of the FIBA Esports Open, set to take place over three weekends with seven regional conferences. This is up from the 17 national teams that took part in the first three-day FIBA Esports Open 2020 held in June, in which Great Britain wasn’t represented.

Each team will consist of seven players: five on the court and two reserves. The PS4 Game will be played remotely on NBA 2K21, using the Pro-AM mode. Teams are once again allowed to have full customization of player avatars, uniforms and arena designs.

Harry ‘HazzaUK’ Hurst will captain the British side

Teams will be divided into one of the following conferences: Africa, North and Central America, South America, Europe, Middle East and Southeast Asia. 

Africa, Middle East and Southeast Asia conferences will be played on November 14-15, while the Europe conference is set for December 12-13. The North and Central America, and South America conferences will take place on December 19-20. Finals will take place in the FIBA Esports Open II in all conferences, with a best of three format. You can see specific match times in this schedule document. 

The series will be produced from the FIBA Esports Studio in Riga, Latvia, with 54 hours of live content being streamed on FIBA’s Facebook, Twitch and YouTube channels.

Andy Payne OBE, British Esports Association chair, commented: “We’re delighted to be partnering with the British Basketball Federation to select a GB Team  for the latest FIBA Esports Open. It’s a great example of sports and esports working together to promote British talent and we look forward to seeing how the team gets on, led by Harry.”

Maurice Watkins CBE,  British Basketball Federation chair, said: “This is an exciting development of a new basketball genre led by FIBA. We are delighted to establish a partnership with the British Esports Association, with their recognised knowledge and experience in esports. This gives the British Basketball Federation a solid foundation and support to enter a GB team in the next round of the next FIBA Esports Open scheduled in December. 

“It is a positive example of esports and sport working together. We look forward to supporting the GB Team, as they take to the virtual basketball court in a FIBA competition.”

Team captain Harry ‘HazzaUK’ Hurst added: “Ever since I was a child, my goal has always been to represent my country on any stage or platform. I am very grateful to have been given such an amazing opportunity, and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead! 

“I know what I can bring to the table, and I’m looking forward to working with my future teammates and bringing success to Team Great Britain.”

“The first-ever FIBA Esports Open was an important milestone. The growing interest received from our National Federations is additional motivation for FIBA to further develop esports, and we are very enthusiastic for this second edition,” said FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis.

You can visit the FIBA Esports Open website for more info, and use the #FIBAesportsOpen hashtag to get involved on social media.

Categories: GB Men, GB Women, FIBA
Anti Doping Information

Copyright © 2023 British Basketball
site by the naked creative

COOKIES
We use third-party tools and services that utilize cookies. These tools help us deliver a better website browsing experience. By clicking on the “Accept” button or continuing to view our site, you consent to the use of cookies on our site. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT