BLAZER5 VICTORIOUS IN STEAL OPEN AND HEADS INTO 3V3 PLAYOFFS
May 12, 2023
Blazer5 Gaming defeated Utah Jazz Gaming 3-1 in a four-game series to win the 2023 3v3 STEAL OPEN. With the title, Blazer5 claimed their spot in the 3v3 playoffs. The team entered the tournament as the 13 seed and snuck out a close 3-2 victory in the opening round against 76ers GC before three consecutive 3-1 wins to take home the tournament title. Jomar “Jomar” Varela-Escapa, member of the inaugural NBA 2K League Draft class in 2018, was named tournament MVP with 19 points, 83% FG and 100% 3P in the final game against Utah Jazz Gaming.
“Our entire team brought confidence to the STEAL tournament, where we saw next-level trust and understanding between our players,” said Mikias Yohannes, General Manager of Blazer5. “As a team, we’ve faced our share of chal- lenges, but our performance this week is a true testament of our resilience and hard work as we look to win in the playoffs.”
Blazer5 players Austin “KayAus” Caterino, Claude “Claude” Knight and Jomar made up the 3v3 squad that brought home the third NBA 2K League tournament championship for the franchise. The 3v3 STEAL OPEN title guarantees the team a spot in the 3v3 playoffs and earns the prize pool of $25,000.
Blazer5 will now compete in the 2023 NBA 2K League 3v3 Playoffs on Wednesday, May 10 – Saturday, May 13 in District E in downtown Washington, D.C. Rip City can stream live on Blazer5’s Twitch and YouTube at 3:00 p.m. PT.