Hornets Venom GT Making 2021 2KL Debut in THE TIPOFF Tournament Powered by AT&T
May 18, 2021
By Sam Perley
An almost entirely new-look Hornets Venom GT squad is set to begin its second season of NBA 2K League action starting with tonight’s THE TIPOFF Tournament powered by AT&T. Veteran PG Justin “Sherm” Sherman and C Peter “PeteBeBallin” Malin have joined the organization after two seasons in Dallas, SF Gio “Trap” Elizondo was redrafted along with 2K League newcomers in SG Craig “rigby” Burnett Jr., PF Kingsley “Crown” Braggs and PF/C Harsimran “Dhuggz” Dhugga.
Charlotte has been slotted into Group 3 of THE TIPOFF along with a revamped Celtics Crossover Gaming team and last year’s 2K League Champions, Wizards District Gaming. Each side will play the other two twice and the one with the best record after four games will advance to the best-of-three Quarterfinal round starting on Friday night. THE TIPOFF winner will eventually walk away with $70,000, second place gets $50,000 and then $20,000 each for the third and fourth-place finishers.
Games 1 + 2 vs. Celtics Crossover Gaming (6 PM EST)
Like Hornets Venom GT, Celtics Crossover reworked most of its roster this offseason, which started with trading star point guard and former-MVP Finalist Albano “oFAB” Thomallari to Cavs Legion back in November. Boston then used draft picks to add SF Torin ‘Tayzo’ Williams, PG Dorian “WalkingBucket” Earl Miller and C Jhade “worthingcolt” Black in the first round and PF Alaina “DjLayyy” Haney in the second to pair with returnees in SG Tamer “Bulleyy” Mustafa and PG Sheriff “FT” Cruz.
Matchup to Watch: Sherm vs. FT
FT might be Celtics Crossover’s only current starter who played in the NBA 2K League last season, albeit he made just three appearances in 2020 as a late-year roster addition. The then-rookie took advantage of his new-found opportunity by averaging an eye-popping 36.3 points on 58% shooting and 5.3 assists, earning himself NBA 2KL Player of the Week honors for Week 12. He’ll be matched up against third-year veteran Sherm, who after finishing as a top-20 scorer last season at 22.6 PPG, will be looking to start his Hornets Venom GT career with a bang.
Games 3 + 4 vs. Wizards District Gaming (10 PM EST)
The reigning NBA 2K League Champions enter Season 4 bringing back largely the same core that captured the organization’s first-ever title last year. Former first overall pick Jack “JBM” Mascone and Ryan “Dayfri” Conger comprise arguably the league’s top point guard-center combo, with SG Manuel “Newdini” Newman II, SF Justin “Just Awkward” Howell and PG Brandon “B Rich” Richardson also all back for a second straight go-around in Washington. The squad did lose a key unretained piece in SG Maurice “ReeseDaGod” Delaney to Lakers Gaming in the draft, a roster hole plugged with the addition of rookie PF Alex “xoLebron” Lebron.
Matchup to Watch: PeteBeBallin vs. Dayfri
A battle between two of the 2K League’s top big men highlights the back half of THE TIPOFF’s opening night with PeteBeBallin and Dayfri squaring off down low. The former is coming off a standout campaign in which he averaged 12.5 points on 71% shooting (5th in the 2KL), 11.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocks (6th), while last year’s Finals MVP put up similar marks of 14.0 points on 70% shooting, 11.7 rebounds and 2.9 blocks. Dayfri and Wizards DG will certainly be looking to get their championship defense off on the right track with something that eluded the squad last year – in-season tournament success.