Charlotte Hornets Become First In NBA 2K League History To Win THE TURN Multiple Times

July 22, 2023 –  (News Release) Hornets Venom GT, the official NBA 2K League affiliate of the Charlotte Hornets, won THE TURN Powered by AT&T tonight, becoming the first team in NBA 2K League history to win the event multiple times after having previously done so in 2021. Hornets Venom GT defeated Blazer5 Gaming 2-1 in the finals.

Guard Antoine “antoinelove” Times earned MVP honors after averaging 23.0 points on 26-of-40 shooting from the field, including 13-of-24 from beyond the three-point line, in the three-game series. He scored at least 18 points in each of Hornets Venom GT’s 10 games during bracket play, averaging 23.6 points and 10.4 assists, while shooting 57.1% from the field (96-of-168) and 46.3% from beyond the three-point line (37-of-80).

Hornets Venom GT won Game 1 77-47 after jumping out to a 22-6 lead at the end of the first quarter and extending the margin to 37-14 at halftime. antoinelove led the team with 24 points, while guard Craig “rigby” Burnett Jr. added 22 points.

Blazer5 Gaming got revenge in Game 2, outscoring Hornets Venom GT by 12 in the fourth quarter to take a 66-57 victory, and held an early lead in Game 3 before Hornets Venom GT took control in the second half to post a 68-57 win in the decisive contest behind 27 points and 10 assists from antoinelove. Center Kingsley “Crown” Braggs tallied 14 points and 17 rebounds to help seal the series win against Blazer5 Gaming and his younger brother, Blazer5 Gaming guard Claude “Claude” Knight, in the first matchup of brothers for a tournament title in NBA 2K League history.

Crown averaged 12.7 points on 17-20 shooting and 12.0 rebounds in the finals. Over all 10 games of bracket play, he averaged 13.6 points and 11.0 rebounds, shot an astounding 88.9% from the field (64-of-72) and recorded seven double-doubles. He shot 100% from the field in three straight games during the quarterfinals and semifinals.

With the victory, Hornets Venom GT locked up the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference for the NBA 2K League 5v5 Playoffs Presented by Google Pixel at District E Powered by Ticketmaster in Washington D.C., which begin on Wednesday, August 2.