Inside The Nets

No. 1 Seed Kevin Durant Loses To No. 16 Seed Derrick Jones Jr. In NBA 2K Players Tournament

Bigger upset than 16-seed UMBC's upset over top-seeded Virginia back in the 2018 NCAA Tournament?

Rob Lep

No. 1 Seed Kevin Durant Loses To No. 16 Seed Derrick Jones Jr. In NBA 2K Players Tournament
No. 1 Seed Kevin Durant Loses To No. 16 Seed Derrick Jones Jr. In NBA 2K Players Tournament /

It's happened again!

When the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) knocked off No. 1 seed Virginia 74-54 in the first round of the 2018 March Madness, they became the first 16-seed to defeat a one-seed.

Fast forward to Friday night and history has repeated itself. Well, sort of...

With the sports world at a stand-still as the coronavirus pandemic continues worldwide, 2K Sports and the NBA came together to bring the first-ever NBA 2K Players Tournament. 16 NBA players facing off in the NBA 2K20 video game, with the matchups being broadcasted on different platforms including ESPN.

Competitors include Kevin Durant, Trae Young, Donovan Mitchell, Devin Booker and more.

In the first matchup of the bracket, 16-seed Derrick Jones Jr. took down the No. 1 overall seed Kevin Durant. April Madness! 

Jones Jr. played as Giannis Antetokoumnpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Durant, on the other hand, may have chosen the Brooklyn Nets over the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency but he did roll with them in 2k! 

Sorry, Clippers Nation... it all worked out though. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George aren't too shabby.

Frustrated during the game, Durant yelled out “Please shoot it!” when  Jones Jr. put Giannis at the 3-point line. Gotta love it.

Durant made it interesting early taking the lead, but Jones came back before the end of the first half. He extended his cushion to 15 in the third quarter and never looked back.

Jones topped Durant 78-62 in the first round, knocking him out of the tournament on the first night. Certainly a bummer for those who thought Durant could take home the title.

Next up for Jones: a matchup versus the winner of Montrezl Harrell versus Domantas Sabonis.

In addition to his work as a digital host and reporter for SI.com, Rob is also a writer for SB Nation, WFAN and the founder of his own website/ interview show STAT Sports (STATSports1.com).

You can subscribe to his STAT Sports Podcast here. His most recent guests include NBA legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kevin Durant's agent, Rich Kleiman. Follow him on Twitter: @RobLep1.

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Rob Lep
ROB LEP

Rob is a Long Island native and versatile sports broadcaster/ journalist. In addition to his work for Sports Illustrated, Lep also writes for WFAN.com and serves as an on-air contributor for CNN Sports Desk and ESPNU Campus. He's the founder of his own website/ interview show STAT Sports (STATSports1.com). When he's not typing or editing on his computer, you can find him at the local Shake Shack or Chipotle. Follow him on Twitter @RobLep1.

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