When it was announced that the NBA was partnering with ESPN for a nationally-televised NBA 2K tournament, it seemed like a gimmicky idea, as we hadn’t seen this before on the NBA 2K front. What made matters worse for Houston Rockets fans is that no one from the team was included in the tournament.
But the idea has been wildly successful, as the ratings have been far better than anyone would have initially thought. In fact, the tournament has become ESPN’s most-watched esports broadcast in the history of the network.
Part of it can be attributed to the hiatus, as people have been striving for any semblance of basketball.