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Ranking System

Learn how teams and players are ranked in the NBA 2K Pro Am Global Rankings

Team Ranking System

Hybrid Ranking System

Teams are ranked using a combination of two complementary metrics to ensure both achievement and skill are fairly represented:

Ranking Points (RP)

70% Weight

Measures team success across verified tournaments and events. Rewards consistent performance and achievement.

ELO Rating

30% Weight

Evaluates relative team skill based on match outcomes and opponent strength. Reacts to current form and competition level.

Final Score = (RP Score × 0.70) + (ELO Normalized × 0.30)

Event Tiers

Tier Description Max RP
T1 Major LANs (Worlds, UPA Live Events) 1000 RP
T2 Monthly UPA Tournaments, UPA College Finals 600 RP
T3 Draft, UPA College Regular 300 RP
T4 Invitationals, Showmatches, Non-UPA Verified Leagues 150 RP
T5 Community Events, Unverified Leagues 50 RP

Dynamic Tier Calculation

Tournament tiers are calculated dynamically based on objective team strength metrics rather than relying solely on event labels. This system analyzes the participating teams' rankings, historical performance, and competitive pedigree to determine the true competitive level of each tournament.

This approach ensures that rankings and rating points accurately reflect the actual difficulty and prestige of each event, preventing tier inflation and maintaining competitive integrity across the ecosystem.

Leaderboard Tiers

Teams are grouped into five performance tiers based on their hybrid score:

S-Tier

Top 4 Teams

Elite Competitors

A-Tier

Rank 5-12

Championship Contenders

B-Tier

Rank 13-30

Playoff Hopefuls

C-Tier

Rank 31-100

Developing Teams

Unranked

100+

New/Inactive

ELO Rating System

ELO ratings provide a dynamic measure of team skill based on match performance with fixed normalization bounds for consistent rankings:

ELO Bounds & Normalization

  • Starting ELO: 1500 (normalizes to 437.5/1000)
  • Minimum Bound: 800 (theoretical competitive floor)
  • Maximum Bound: 2400 (practical competitive ceiling)
  • Benefit: Rankings remain stable regardless of team distribution

How ELO Works

  • • Ratings increase when beating higher-rated teams
  • • Ratings decrease when losing to lower-rated teams
  • • The amount of change depends on the rating difference
  • Fixed bounds prevent ranking instability

Player Rating System

Each player receives a Global Rating (0–100+) derived from verified game stats and competitive context. This rating helps evaluate player performance across different leagues and tournaments. The system automatically updates when new stats are verified.

Global Rating = Base + Game Impact + Event Bonus + Consistency − Decay

Rating Components Breakdown

1. Base Rating (50-70 points)

Starting point that increases with experience:

  • No games: 50 points (below average, new to system)
  • < 5 games: 65 points (new player, establishing baseline)
  • < 10 games: 68 points (getting established)
  • 10+ games: 70 points (established player baseline)

2. Game Impact (0-30 points)

Performance-based score using comprehensive stats:

  • Points × True Shooting Plus (efficiency vs league average)
  • Assists × 1.5 (playmaking value)
  • Rebounds × 1.25 (board control)
  • Steals × 2.5 (defensive pressure)
  • Blocks × 2.0 (rim protection)
  • Missed FGs × -1.0 (efficiency penalty)
  • Missed FTs × -0.7 (efficiency penalty)
  • Turnovers × -2.0 (possession penalty)

Weighted by event tier multiplier and averaged over recent 20 games

3. Event Bonus (0-15 points)

Rewards participation in high-tier competitions:

  • T1 (Major LANs): +8 bonus per game
  • T2 (Franchise Events): +5 bonus per game
  • T3 (Qualifiers): +3 bonus per game
  • T4 (Invitationals): +2 bonus per game
  • T5 (Community): +1 bonus per game

Sum of unique tier bonuses from recent games, capped at 15 points

4. Consistency Bonus (0-3 points)

Rewards reliable, steady performers:

  • Very Consistent (peak within 5pts of avg): +3 points
  • Consistent (peak within 10pts): +2 points
  • Somewhat Consistent (peak within 15pts): +1 point
  • Inconsistent: 0 points

Compares peak performance to average game impact

5. Decay Penalty (0-15 points)

Encourages active participation:

  • ≤ 30 days: No decay (active player)
  • 31-60 days: -2 points (recently active)
  • 61-90 days: -5 points (moderate inactivity)
  • 91-180 days: -10 points (prolonged absence)
  • 180+ days: -15 points (severely inactive)

Based on days since last verified game

Player Tiers

Tier Label Rating Range Description
S+ Legendary 95+ Elite playmakers, consistent top performers across T1/T2 events
S Elite 90-94 Top-tier players, tournament winners, high consistency
A All-Star 85-89 Strong competitors, frequent high placements, solid impact
B Starter 80-84 Solid players, reliable team contributors
C Role Player 75-79 Specialized skills, developing players, niche roles
D Bench 70-74 New or inconsistent performers, needs improvement
Unranked Unranked < 70 Insufficient games or very low performance

How Ratings are Calculated

  • Automatic Updates: Ratings recalculate when new stats are verified
  • Recent Performance: Last 20 games weighted more heavily
  • Event Tier Weighting: T1 games have 1.5x multiplier vs T5 at 0.7x
  • Context-Aware: Performance compared to league averages for fair evaluation
  • Daily Updates: Decay penalties apply automatically each day

Match Data & Verification

From OCR to Verified Stats

Our system uses Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to automatically extract player and team statistics from match boxscore screenshots. This automated process allows us to quickly capture and display match data for the community.

1. OCR Processing

When a boxscore screenshot is uploaded, our OCR system automatically reads and extracts statistics from the image. This process happens instantly and makes the data immediately visible on the platform.

Important: OCR-derived stats may contain errors due to image quality, formatting variations, or recognition limitations.

2. Under Review

After OCR processing, matches enter the "Under Review" state. During this phase, our team manually verifies the extracted data against the original screenshots to ensure accuracy. Matches with the Under Review badge are awaiting verification.

3. Verified

Once our team confirms the accuracy of the OCR-extracted data, the match is marked as "Verified" with a Verified badge. Only at this stage are the statistics officially entered into our database tables.

Key Point: Verified stats are the only ones that count toward player ratings, season statistics, and leaderboard standings.

Why This Matters

  • Transparency: You can see match data immediately, even before verification
  • Accuracy: Manual verification ensures only correct stats affect rankings and ratings
  • Fair Competition: Player ratings and team rankings are based solely on verified, error-free data
  • Community Trust: Clear badges help you understand which stats are official

RP Decay

To maintain competitive integrity, RP will decay over time to ensure rankings reflect current performance levels.

RP Source Decay Starts Full Decay
Event RP (League Participation, Open Championships, Regular Season Champions) 30 Days 90 Days
League Championships and Tournaments 60 Days 120 Days
Major Championships (Worlds, UPA Live Events) 90 Days 180 Days