Section 01
League Overview
The CHECK UP 3v3 Draft League (Triple Threat) is a competitive, organized, and fair Pro-Am league. Failure to comply with any rule below may result in fines, suspensions, forfeits, or removal from the league.
16 teams - split evenly across the Eastern and Western Conferences (8 per conference).§
Season Length: 4 weeks of regular-season play, followed by playoffs.§
Format: 3v3 Pro-Am, first to 21.§
Player Entry: $20.§
Franchise Owner: $50.§
Personalized Branding Package: $75.§
Eligibility - by entering you confirm all of the following:§Toxik review
- You are at least 16 years old.
- You own a legal copy of NBA 2K on a supported platform (Xbox / PlayStation).
- The account you play under is your own - no shared accounts, no smurf accounts, no account-sharing.
- You are entered on exactly one team per season.
Platform - Pro-Am matches are played on the platform agreed by both teams. If cross-play Pro-Am is not available, both teams must field rosters on the same platform.§Toxik review
Section 02
Regular Season, Playoffs & Prize Pool
Each team plays 27 regular-season series.§
Regular-season series are Best-of-5 (first team to 3 game wins).§
Standings are determined by series wins. 1 point per series win.§Toxik review
Standings tiebreakers, in order:§Toxik review
- 1. Head-to-head series record between the tied teams.
- 2. Total point differential across all regular-season games.
- 3. League commissioner coin flip.
Top 4 seeds from each conference qualify directly for the playoffs. The #1 and #2 seeds also earn a first-round bye.§
Seeds 5-8 in each conference play a Best-of-1 Play-In for the last 2 playoff spots.§Toxik review
- Two Play-In games (Best-of-1): #5 vs #8 and #6 vs #7.
- The two winners enter the playoff bracket as that conference's #5 and #6 seeds. Six teams advance per conference, for a 12-team playoff.
The Play-In is Best-of-1. All playoff rounds are Best-of-5. The Finals are Best-of-7.§
The final prize pool is set by total league entries and fees collected, paid out as follows:§
- Champion: 70% of the pool.
- Runner-up: 30% of the pool.
- Within each team's share - 75% to the players, 25% to the franchise owner.
Section 03
Gameplay Rules
Enforced every game. The first three are the structural ones - the rest are zero-tolerance.
No tempo shooting. The setting must be off in the team's Pro-Am settings.§
No shot meter. The setting must be off.§
Layup meter is allowed (this is intentional - only the shot meter is banned).§
No lock screens (no using the Lockdown Defender to set on-ball screens).§
No post scoring or post moves.§
No double guards.§Toxik review
- Because the lineup is fixed (1 PG / 1 Lock / 1 PF-C), this is enforced by build classification: the player at the Lock slot's primary build position cannot be Point Guard.
No double bigs.§Toxik review
- Same enforcement as double-guards: the Lock slot's build cannot be a Power Forward or Center primary.
Zero tolerance for cheating, exploiting, or game manipulation.§Toxik review
- Cheating includes: lag switching, save-state manipulation, build / takeover / animation glitch exploits, controller scripts or macros, mid-series alt accounts, deliberate desync, and any third-party assistance not permitted by NBA 2K's terms.
- Any player caught cheating faces: immediate suspension, match forfeits, and / or permanent removal from the league. Entry fees are forfeit on a cheating removal.
Section 04
Build & Lineup Restrictions
Three on-court positions, 3 starters and 3 bench players, 6 on the roster.
Point Guard (PG) - maximum height 6'4". A build's primary position must be PG.§
Lockdown Defender (Lock) - height 6'4" to 6'6". Primary position cannot be PG or Center.§Toxik review
Power Forward / Center (PF-C) - height 6'7" to 6'9".§
Lineup is locked at tipoff - one PG, one Lock, one PF-C. 3 on the court at all times.§
A drafted player has a declared primary position used for matchmaking and lineup planning, but they are NOT locked to playing that position. Versatile players may fill any on-court slot their build is height-eligible for.§
- The lineup at tipoff still follows the structural rules (one PG, one Lock, one PF-C, no double guards, no double bigs).
- Example: a 6'4" build is height-eligible for both PG and Lock - the team can field them in either slot, game-by-game.
Section 05
Match Rules
Regular-season series: Best of 5.§
Playoff series: Best of 5.§
Finals: Best of 7.§
Every game is first to 21.§
Game 1 ball possession is decided by a coin flip.§
Ball-first alternates each game thereafter.§
If a Best-of-5 reaches Game 5 (or a Best-of-7 reaches Game 7), ball-first is awarded to the team with the higher cumulative point differential in the series. If point differential is tied, a fresh coin flip decides.§Toxik review
Teams must check in for scheduled matches on the official website at least 15 minutes before tipoff.§Toxik review
Match scheduling - the higher-seeded team proposes the time; the opposing team must accept or counter within 24 hours. If no agreement is reached 48 hours before the scheduled game window closes, the match defaults to Sunday at 8:00 PM EDT.§Toxik review
Late-arrival window - 15-minute grace from scheduled tipoff. Teams not ready to start at the 16-minute mark forfeit the game (and may forfeit the series at admin discretion).§Toxik review
All league games are played in the official CHECK UP Discord server, in 3v3 Pro-Am on the home team's team-specific court with proper jersey and court branding applied.§
Section 06
Streaming Requirements
At least one player per team is required to stream every match.§
Team audio (in-game and party chat) must be included in the stream.§
Acceptable streaming platforms: Twitch, YouTube Live, or Kick. Minimum 720p60 at 3,500 kbps.§Toxik review
VODs must be enabled for every match stream.§
Match VODs must remain publicly accessible for at least 14 days after the match (so disputes and rule reviews have evidence to pull from).§Toxik review
Streams may be reviewed by league admins for rule enforcement at any time.§
If the assigned streamer lags out, a teammate must take over streaming. If no teammate is able to stream, the match continues and admin reviews evidence from the opposing team's VOD.§Toxik review
Section 07
Team Requirements
Teams must use their official Triple Threat jerseys for every match.§
Teams must play home matches on their official Triple Threat court.§
Roster size: 6 total - 3 starters and 3 bench players.§
Substitutions are permitted between games of a series. No mid-game substitutions, except when an in-game lag-out leaves a player unable to return (see Lag-Out Rules).§Toxik review
A team must field at least 3 available players to start a game. Falling below 3 mid-series counts as a forfeit for the affected games unless an emergency Fill-In is approved by an admin.§Toxik review
Section 08
Free Agency
Players not selected during the draft enter the Free Agency pool.§
Free agent signings are open during the regular season, with a cap of 1 signing per team per calendar week (Monday 00:00 EDT through Sunday 23:59 EDT).§Toxik review
Roster size cap is hard at 6. To sign a free agent, an existing roster player must be released first.§Toxik review
Section 09
Trade Rules
Section 10
Lag-Out Rules
A "lag-out" is any unexpected disconnect, hard freeze, app crash, or lobby drop that removes a player from an in-progress game.
First lag-out (per game) - the game is restarted from the exact point the lag-out occurred. Both teams are responsible for accurately recreating the score, time remaining, fouls, and any other relevant statistics. If they cannot agree on the state, the most recent broadcast / VOD timestamp is used as the source of truth.§Toxik review
Second lag-out (same game) - the affected team must finish the game with an AI-controlled player in the dropped slot.§
Third lag-out (same game) - the affected team automatically loses that game.§
Lag-out counts reset at the start of each new game in a series.§Toxik review
Section 11
Player Retention
At the end of every season, franchises can carry players forward into the next draft. How many they can keep scales with where they finished.
Champion franchise - retains all 5 players from their roster.§
Runner-up franchise - retains 3 players. Option to retain a 4th by forfeiting their 1st-round pick in the next draft.§
Every other franchise - retains 2 players. Option to retain a 3rd by forfeiting their 1st-round pick in the next draft.§
Retention selections must be declared to league staff before the next draft begins. Players not retained re-enter the draft pool as free agents.§
If a franchise owner has declared themselves as one of the 5 roster slots (see Draft Rules - owner-as-player), the owner-player counts toward the retention cap. A runner-up owner-player retaining 3 means: themselves + 2 other players.§
Section 12
Draft Rules
Owners have 2 minutes to make each draft selection.§
If the timer expires, an Auto-Draft Selection is made on the owner's behalf.§
Owner-as-player declaration - if a franchise owner intends to play on their own team, they must declare it to league staff in advance. The owner-player occupies 1 of the 5 roster spots and the franchise automatically forfeits its 1st-round pick.§
- Declaration must be received by league staff before the draft begins. An undeclared owner playing on their own team is treated as a roster violation and may forfeit their entry, at admin discretion.
- Roster math: the owner-player counts as 1 of 5 roster spots. The franchise fills the remaining 4 via the draft (without their 1st-round pick) and free agency.
- The penalty applies on participation, not on timer expiry - the franchise forfeits its 1st-round pick regardless of whether picks are made on time.
Coach-as-player penalty - if a coach is also playing as a player on their own team, the team forfeits its 1st-round pick.§
- Coaches receive front-office and scouting access that regular players do not. Dual-rolling as a player creates an insider-information advantage, so the cost is a 1st-round pick the team would otherwise hold.
- The penalty applies whether or not the coach made the pick on time - it triggers on participation, not on timer expiry.
Section 13
Open Combine
Optional - but the fastest way to move up a draft board.
Section 14
Screenshot & Reporting Rules
Teams are responsible for uploading screenshots of every win.§
Screenshots must be uploaded within 30 minutes of the match ending.§Toxik review
Failure to upload proof of victory within the window results in a $25 fine. Repeat offenses escalate.§
Screenshots must clearly show the final score, the winning team, and individual player statistics.§
Section 15
Disputes & Filing
League admin has final say on all disputes. There is a defined process for getting your case in front of them.
All disputes are filed in the #disputes channel of the official CHECK UP Discord, OR via the dispute form on your team page on checkup.gg.§Toxik review
Disputes must be filed within 24 hours of the disputed match ending. Disputes filed after the 24-hour window will not be reviewed.§Toxik review
Every dispute must include: a written description, screenshots, and the VOD timestamp(s) of the relevant moment(s). Disputes without VOD evidence may be dismissed.§Toxik review
League administration reviews disputes within 48 hours and issues a ruling. All admin rulings are final.§Toxik review
Section 16
Fines & Discipline
Standard conduct enforcement ladder:§Toxik review
- 1. Warning (first offense, minor).
- 2. $25 fine (second offense, or any single moderate offense).
- 3. 1-game suspension (third offense, or any serious offense).
- 4. Removal from the league (cheating or repeated serious offenses).
Team owners are responsible for ensuring all of their players follow league rules.§
Fines may be paid by the individual player or by the team owner - payment responsibility is at the owner's discretion.§
Unpaid fines are deducted from the team's prize-pool payout at season end. Teams with outstanding fines may be barred from their next match until paid.§Toxik review
Late to scheduled match: $25.§
Mid-season gamertag change: $10 (admins need updated rosters and stat-tracking continuity).§
Section 17
Sportsmanship Policy
All players, owners, and league staff are expected to maintain professionalism and sportsmanship at all times.§
The following will not be tolerated:§
- Toxic conduct
- Harassment
- Excessive arguing with players, opponents, or league staff
- Match manipulation
- Intentional griefing
- Any unsportsmanlike behavior
League administration reserves the right to make final decisions on all disputes and disciplinary actions.§
Section 18
Refunds, Media Rights & Final Notes
Entry fees are non-refundable once the first regular-season match of the season has been played. Players removed from the league for cheating or repeated serious offenses forfeit their entry fee.§Toxik review
By entering the Triple Threat league, you grant CHECK UP / ModernGrindTech the right to use your gamertag, in-game footage, stream clips, and match results for league promotion, recap content, and broadcast.§Toxik review
By participating in the Triple Threat league, every player and owner acknowledges and agrees to follow every rule listed above.§
League administration reserves the right to modify rules when necessary, address situations not specifically outlined in this rulebook, and make final rulings in the best interest of league integrity and fairness.§