The NBA 2K game series: what is it all about?

The NBA is one of the biggest sporting franchises in the world, and the video game version of the basketball court action has also long been one of the most popular games in the industry.  

Similarly to FIFA, it offers a digital recreation of a very popular “offline” sport, allowing you to possess the best players and teams in the league and to duke it out with their greatest rivals on the court. As is traditional, there’s also a robust multiplayer component included in the game experience, with a dedicated esports competition, the NBA 2K League, serving as the way for the best of the best to battle for the big bucks.

The NBA 2K League is the first esports league to be fully operated by an actual professional sports franchise, with the real NBA closely involved in the proceedings all along the way. NBA 2K was among the big winners of the pandemic era as fans of real basketball flocked to check out this digital alternative, with many sticking around for good after seeing how awesome esports can be.

The franchise’s storied history began in, as its name suggests, the year 2000, with the first two entries of the basketball game series launching exclusively on the DreamHack before its eventual world conquest in the following years. The 2022 edition, stylized NBA 2K22, is slated to release on September 10, a breath of fresh air for NBA 2K esports competitions.

Why you should bet on NBA 2K

Betting on the NBA 2K League and other video game basketball events is a great way to make watching your favorites play all the more adrenaline-pumping. Having a bit of skin in the game makes it all the more fun to cheer them on, with the chance to get a nice little reward along the way, too! All you need is a basic understanding of the various betting markets to start out, and there are also quite a few handy betting tips you can keep in mind to place well-informed wagers on the game!

NBA2K betting markets and bet types

It can be a bit confusing at first to navigate all the betting options when it comes to NBA 2K and esports as a whole. For fans of traditional sports, most of these wager types should be quite familiar actually!

Match winner betting

This is the classic cornerstone of betting on NBA 2K. Who will win the match? Guess correctly and your balance will go up – otherwise, you’ll have to say goodbye to your wager. We at Rivalry display the odds in decimal form, meaning an 1.8 odds imply a 55.6% probability and offer an 80% profit on your bet.

NBA 2K live betting

Rivalry offers variety of betting options, including Live betting, which allows you to track the match as it progresses and to place your bet with updated odds but also with more information at your disposal. It’s one of the most exciting ways of betting on NBA 2K and the most novel betting option out there right now.

Predict the tournament winners

Also known as “futures betting”, these options allow you to wager on the eventual winner of the tournament well in advance. Since there are many matches to be played out before you know whether you got it right or not, the odds are more generous than in the case of a single match. It is a great way to leverage your knowledge about NBA 2K betting.

Bet on NBA 2K safely with Rivalry

Rivalry is different than other esports betting platforms, it was made by gamers for games with the goal to create a safe and licensed esports betting site for fans. No other NBA2K betting site offers the kind of unique features we’ve got: take a look at our awesome offerings like Rushlane and kickass contests for online betting, not to mention our best odds for a wide range of tournaments, and you can easily see why we’re confident that we proudly belong among the best virtual basketball betting sites.

We do online esports betting differently than most: our Isle of Man Gaming License is one of the most reputable ones in the gambling industry and we work tirelessly to expand our foothold in countries around the world in accordance with their specific regulations so that we can offer you NBA2K League betting and many other esports competitions, such as LoL, Dota, CS:GO, CoD, Valorant, Rocket League and many more. In addition to that we specialize in sports betting.

We are one hundred percent legal

Rivalry’s operations are fully licensed by the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission. That's why nba 2k betting is completely legal with Rivalry.

Our site is one hundred percent safe

Your deposit is safe with us. All debts are enforceable by law, and we are strictly compliant with all rules and regulations.

A generous welcome bonus

We’re so happy to have you in the esports betting fold that we offer a 100% bonus on your deposit up to $100, no questions asked! As well as special promotions and even free bets.

Instant deposits and real money

Cash is not only one hundred percent legal (unlike skins betting) but it allows us to make your deposits available instantly and to pay you faster. This also lets us offer a wide range of transparent deposit methods to you! Place real money bets on NBA2k and other esports with Rivalry in an easy and secure way.

Rivalry Academy

If you are new just getting started with NBA 2K betting, make sure to check out the Rivalry Academy! Our team teaches you everything you need to know to understand the world of esports betting and what it takes to place an informed bet, allowing for even more fun along the way and a bigger bang for your buck.

NBA 2K betting tips

Experience basketball for yourself

The NBA 2K League is unique among esports in that a good understanding of actual basketball can take you very far even if you’re not a twitchy kid with insane reflexes. Unlike with games like Counter-Strike or Call of Duty, controller players can go a long way simply off the back of having a good basketball mind. This, in turn, means that spending some time with the game (either the real deal or its virtual counterpart) will allow you to place more informed bets on NBA 2K events. Besides, who knows? Maybe you’ll have a lot of fun along the way as well.

The best NBA 2K teams won’t keep on winning forever

It’s easy to place too much of an emphasis on recent form, but if it were that easy to figure out the winners in esports, it would be pretty damn boring. You need to go deeper with your research: player chemistry, any potential gameplay changes, new tactics, the players’ mindset that you may figure out through their social media postings… There's a lot to consider when placing an NBA 2K bet.

Conclusion

That should just about cover the basics of NBA 2K betting: be it this esport some other game like Dota 2 that you’re interested in, our kickass support team at Rivalry is ready to help out with any further questions you may have, be it about the site or the competitions like the NBA 2K League!

But first, check out the list of…

FAQs

Is betting on NBA 2K legal?

Yes, betting on your favorite esports matches, including NBA 2K matches, at Rivalry is 100% legal. We are licensed and regulated under the Isle of Man Gambling Supervision Commission.

How to bet on NBA 2K?

It’s super simple stuff: check our NBA 2K offerings and the various welcome bonuses and deposit options, load some money onto your account, then navigate to the betting markets of your choice (the NBA 2K League should be your starting point for this game), select the match you’re interested in, check the betting odds then place your bet, confirm your choice and watch as the game plays out.

Are there any bonuses for NBA 2K?

Yes, Rivalry offers a generous welcome bonus, so you can bet on your favorite NBA 2K matches.

What are the biggest NBA 2K esports events?

Without a doubt, the NBA 2K League is what you should be looking for. Partly operated by the real NBA, the 23-team competition serves as the pinnacle of virtual basketball esports. ESL, a company well-known in the Counter-Strike and Dota 2 scenes, also offered their own take on the game with the NBA 2K20 Global Championship, a special 1v1 competition, which had very different betting odds from the traditional competition.

Is NBA 2K free to play?

Though the game is still a full-price purchase, many sales and free weekends offer opportunities to enterprising players to check out the game for themselves without making any financial commitment.