Chicago Bulls: Zach LaVine reps in players-only 2K Tournament

The most game action to have occurred since the NBA season was placed on hiatus will occur with Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine starting April 3.

One of the bigger announcements to come about for the Chicago Bulls, and the rest of the NBA in general, came with the news that the NBA would be hosting a players-only 2K Tournament later this week. Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports was the first to report the news on March 30 that the NBA would be hosting this players-only 2K Tournament.

And on March 31, an official release from the NBA showed how the tournament would be styled, when it would be played, and which players it would entail. There will be 16 players included in this 2K Tournament, which will air live on ESPN on April 3.

Here’s what this release from the NBA had to say on this tournament.

"Beginning Friday, April 3 on ESPN and ESPN2, players – including top seeds Kevin Durant of the Brooklyn Nets and Trae Young of the Atlanta Hawks – will compete in a single-elimination, player-only tournament on Xbox One. The winner will be crowned the ultimate NBA 2K20 champion and select a charity beneficiary to receive a $100,000 donation from 2K, the NBA and the NBPA in support of ongoing coronavirus relief efforts.“We’re thrilled to partner with the NBA and NBPA to bring basketball back to fans throughout the world and to help those in need during these uncertain times,” said Jason Argent, 2K Senior Vice President, Sports Strategy and Licensing. “Entertainment, especially sports, has the ability to bring communities together – including athletes, fans and families – and we hope that everyone will enjoy the tournament.”"

The original announcement of this tournament was supposed to include just one representative from each of the 30 NBA teams. There were only 16 players that were announced to be included in this tournament, including one from the Bulls. But there’s multiple players from some teams in this tournament field.

That one Bulls player that is representing the team in the 2K Tournament, who is also an avid gamer, is 25-year-old shooting guard Zach LaVine. He’s the seven-seed in the bracket, taking on the Phoenix Suns center DeAndre Ayton in the first round.

Other key NBA players in this tournament are Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant, Atlanta Haws point guard Trae Young, Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell, and Suns shooting guard Devin Booker.

And the seeding here is done by the overall of each player in the game as of the latest roster update. LaVine has an overall rating of 85 in NBA 2K20, which is the same as Cleveland Cavaliers center Andre Drummond, Indiana Pacers power forward Domantas Sabonis, and Ayton.

This gaming tournament for NBA players comes in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic that placed the season on hiatus back on March 11. The last game the Bulls played in was on March 10, against the Cavaliers.