Week 1 is here!

12:00 pm - Bulls @ Grizzlies
The first of 66 regular season contests features the reigning player of the year Seth Johnson and his Bulls against the Grizzlies. The Bulls are coming off a season in which they made the semifinals, led by their "Big 3" consisting of Johnson, Benito Munoz, and coach Bobby Crivokapich. Johnson averaged 22.6 ppg (second in the league) and 13.5 rpg (first in the league) to lead the way and take POTY honors. Munoz took the league by storm, averaging 20.9 ppg (fourth in the league) to snag first-team all-league honors alongside Johnson. Crivokapich had a strong second half to the season, as he finished the season averaging 15.2 ppg and 9.3 rpg (fourth in the league). With some added depth on their roster, they will look to challenge the top teams in the K1 League, and try to get back to Semifinal Sunday. For the Grizzlies, coach Michael Lonergan Jr. will look to get the monkey off his back as he aims for his first ever regular season win. Despite struggling the past two years, his roster has changed drastically, and he believes they have the pieces in place to compete. Last year Lonergan Jr. finished second in the league in assists at 4.7 apg, and will look to get his teammates involved - seven of which are newcomers.

1:00 pm - Lakers @ Celtics
New Lakers' additions Walter Hudson and Mendi Naylor waste no time in taking on their former teammates, as these two new-look rosters look to improve upon disappointing conclusions to their Fall 2021 campaigns. We'll start with the Celtics, who have perhaps the biggest storyline of the entire league in Billy Baptist. The local legend joins a K1 team for the first time, and will be an early favorite for POTY if he is able to play in enough games. What we don't know is the availability of Baptist for every week, but will certainly anticipate his league debut. Without Baptist, the Celtics will need to play a solid brand of team basketball, especially without Hudson and Naylor. Jonathan Townsend (12.6 ppg) and Donald Ellis (11.4 ppg) are the lone returners in double figures, and they will look to lead Deangelo Sanders' Celtics offensively. The Lakers return head coach Andre Robertson and his son Andre Robertson Jr., but other than that, have an almost entirely new team. Last year's league-leader in scoring, Red Binion (23.6 ppg), teams up with Andre Robertson Jr. and first-team all-league player Tone Brooks (17.6 ppg) to form a dynamic back court. Add college guys Black Binion and Brian Hernandez into the mix, and the Lakers are contenders in a stacked K1 league. If Black and Brian are there, the Lakers may be the favorite in just about every game. Without them, they still have deep guard play, but will need newcomer Chad White to team up with William Love to anchor the middle for a relatively undersized team.

2:00 pm - Heat @ Suns
In a matchup of teams that couldn't play any differently, the young guns from the Heat will look to spoil the league debut of Ryan Kvasnicka and his Suns' team. Kvasnicka was a key player for the Spurs last year, as they won their second straight title. Now he brings his own team to the league, as they hope to make a splash as they have done together for two decades now. Ryan's brother Jay Kvasnicka is one of eleven other players on the Suns. A few other key players are softball standout Brian Zirkle, Cameron "CC" Malone, and IU Northwest's Jared Johnson, to name a few. While the age of Suns could hurt them initially, while getting into game shape and playing on a new surface, it also gives them an edge of experience that few teams can boast. Look for the Suns to be as deep and as tall as any team in the league, and for them to play together as they have done now for a long time. Contrasting their old-school style of play, the Heat will continue to do what they do best, and that is run up and down the court, as they look to force turnovers and get easy buckets. Terrell Hendrix (20.0 ppg) is back to anchor a Heat team that will need some other players to step up around him. A few key additions for Trey Anthony's team include Davaughn Price, Reese Price, Willie Strickland, and Denzel Alexander. We expect the Heat to play their patented, extended 2-3 zone, and to utilize their speed. This matchup on Sunday should be a dandy, as these two completely different styles go toe-to-toe.

3:00 pm - Nets @ Knicks
The Week 1 game of the week matchup will feature the Nets and the Knicks, two teams that have some serious star power. We'll start with the Nets, who are considered to be one of those teams that can potentially challenge the Spurs. The storyline for them was re-signing big man TJ Wicks, and adding two of the best free agents on the market in Martavias Laster and Sammie Hines. Wicks showed serious improvement from the Spring 2021 League to the Fall 2021 League, and was a difference maker inside for the Nets. Pair him up with the dynamic scoring ability of Laster (16.4 ppg) and Hines (14.8 ppg), and the veteran leadership of coach Jerry "Chillz" Wills, the Nets will be as tough as any team in the K1 League. They also return Ronnie Jackson (15.6 ppg) and Mook Lawrence (13.3 ppg), while re-signing former teammate Lonzale Mason as well as Jared Harris. On the other side of the ball is a new team in the Knicks, led by coach Quon Shaw, who took LJ Harris and Rob Anderson with him from the Lakers to start this new team. The Knicks are big and strong, and will likely be one of the best teams on the glass. The big question for them will be their depth and their ability to shoot from the outside. Newcomer Braijon Thomas (18.9 ppg), Harris (18.7 ppg), and Shaw (14.5 ppg), all finished in the top 20 in scoring during the Fall 2021 League and will form a very formidable pair. They will rely on Rob Anderson and his brother Chris Anderson to anchor down the middle, along with JJ Calvin. Look for these star-powered teams to put on a show in Week 1 in the game of the week matchup.

4:00 pm - Pacers @ Bucks
The second of two brand new teams makes it K1 League debut on Sunday, as Jamari Washington's Pacers take on the Bucks. While we don't know a lot about the Pacers roster, we do know what Washington himself is capable of. Despite just turning 19 years old in November, he balled out on several different occasions for the Mavericks in the Fall League, as he showcased his versatile game on the offensive end of the court. He'll be surrounded by eight first-time players in the league, including Kawani Blackman and Jajuan McKinnon, a pair of talented players. Despite not getting any favors from the schedule - as they start out with the Bucks and Spurs - the Pacers will look to compete in their first ever season. We'll see how the league's youngest team holds up over the course of a long season. The Bucks meanwhile seem to be flying under the radar perhaps more than any other contender. Fresh off a season in which they won ten games and made the semifinals, the Bucks have added four different players 6'2" or taller. Two of those key additions are forward Blake Graham, and center Aleks Malinic. Graham played in two games in each of the two first K1 seasons, but has yet to put a full season together. Meanwhile newcomer Malinic, is a 6'8" center who should be among the league's best big men. Add this size to a Bucks team that was second in the league in assists, and boasted seven of the league's top 25 shooters from three point range, the Bucks should be contenders. Darien Bosby (15.9 ppg) and Jaquan Boxley (12.3 ppg) are just two of several talented guards for the Bucks in what they hope is a deep run into the playoff tournament, led by coach Austin Peters.

5:00 pm - Kings @ Spurs
Last but not least, the new-look Kings get the first crack at the "Super" Spurs, who are looking for their third straight K1 League championship. We'll start with the Spurs, who pulled off one of the biggest free agency heists the league may ever see, as they put together a true super team. After defeating the Warriors on a last-second shot in the Fall 2021 Championship game, the Spurs decided to take two of the Warriors' most talented players. Tyree Mosley, who will likely be known as Kevin Durant for the duration of the season, and Latrell Tidwell, join a team that needs no introduction. The Spurs have been as dominant and as fun to watch as any team in league history, and they somehow may take that up another notch this season. Despite losing forward Ryan Kvasnicka and center Austin Halcomb, coach Matt Cunningham and his Spurs were able to quickly re-add depth, and in rather shocking fashion. Their top-six players are all first-team all-league caliber, but will likely see their individual numbers go down as their touches will have to decrease. Mosley (17.4 ppg), Trey Johnson (15.5 ppg), Dennis Koger (13.8 ppg), Chris Green (13.2 ppg), Ray Lawrence (11.7 ppg), and Tidwell (11.1 ppg), will form one of the best teams to ever play together from the area. For the Kings, their roster contains mostly players who have played in the K1 League, but never together. Head coach Antoine Blandon takes over for Marcell Hobbs, and has one of the most intriguing teams in the league. Their roster includes a variety of skilled players at every position, but the question will be, how does it all fit together? Point guard KT Bobo led the league in assists last year with 4.2 apg, while the other main ball hander in Ahmad Smith rejoins the league after a stint last Spring with Team 2. Star forward CJ Link boycotted his season with the Lakers, but will look to bounce back after averaging 14.7 ppg for Team 2 last spring. Jamir Hinds comes over from the Mavericks, Octavius Davis comes over from the Heat, and newcomers Kevin Hayward, Cam Link, and Cortez Baines will all make their league debut for the Kings on Sunday.