Pop-A-Shot Los Angeles Qualifier

By Bryce Smith
Championship, Events
Feb 23, 2026

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By Bryce Smith
Championship, Events
Feb 23, 2026

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Our first qualifier of 2026 is in the books!
 

In partnership with NBA Summer League, we hosted the 2026 Los Angeles Qualifier at the E-Central Downtown Los Angeles Hotel while also having an activation across the street at NBA Crossover. 

This marked the fourth qualifier of the 2026 season following the St. Louis Qualifier held in September, the Indianapolis Qualifier held in October, and the Atlanta Qualifier held in November, but the first to officially kick off the 2026 calendar year.

Lights, Camera, Buckets!

Rolling Out the New Queue System

Los Angeles was the first time we implemented our new queue system.

The goal was simple. Let players check in, secure their spot, and move freely instead of standing in a long line waiting for their turn. Overall, it worked the way we intended, though we did uncover a few areas that need tightening up. We are already making adjustments so the process is smoother and clearer at future stops.

 

We appreciate everyone who was patient as we worked through it in real time.

A Mix of New and Familiar Faces

This qualifier brought a lot of new competitors into the mix, which is always great to see. At the same time, two familiar names showed up ready to compete.

 

Bobby Derian (BDERIAN) made the trip from Denver. He owns Skyline Pub and captains the Skyline Swishers in our virtual league. Over the past season he competed in St. Louis and Chicago and has consistently been in the mix.

 

Cory Persons (CORY688), currently sitting at #4 on our All Time Leaderboard, continues to prove why he is one of the most consistent players we have. He regularly shows up near the top of our monthly leaderboards and never looks out of place in a bracket.

The Qualifying Mark and a New Milestone

The cutoff to make the Top 8 was 102. Three players finished tied at that number, forcing a tiebreaker to determine the final two seeds.

When it was settled, CORY688 secured the 7 seed and MATTMUG claimed the 8 seed.

At the top of the board, BDERIAN set the tone early with a 157, the highest qualifying score of the day.

Here is how the bracket stacked up and the scores it took to get there:

  1. BDERIAN – 157
  2. SCHEFFLER – 123
  3. MCEE – 113
  4. GARY – 109
  5. ZIZI202 – 105
  6. CLIPSR4REAL – 103
  7. CORY688 – 102
  8. MATTMUG – 102

A notable moment from qualifying came from ZIZI202, who became the first female competitor to advance to a finals bracket. She earned it outright with a 105 and continues to raise the bar for what this field looks like.

Bracket Play

Once bracket play started, BDERIAN did not let up.

 

He won every matchup he played and advanced through the bracket without dropping a round. In the finals, he faced SCHEFFLER, who had put together a strong day of his own after posting a 123 in qualifying.

 

In the end, BDERIAN completed a clean sweep till the finish line and locked up his spot in his goal to become the 2026 National Champion.

Beyond the Qualifier

Outside of the bracket, we had a major presence at NBA Crossover. We featured 2 Pop-A-Shot Elite and 10 Pop-A-Shot Pro Dual Shot games inside our dedicated Pop-A-Shot Zone. We also built 4 custom games for the Michelob Ultra Courtside activation.

 

The response all weekend was strong and it was great to see both casual fans and serious competitors jump in.

Next Stop: Boston

Up next is Boston, and it will be our first of two Pop-A-Shot Super Qualifiers this season. The event will be filmed and later aired on ESPN News. Competitors will now be able to play among four games, and the top two finishers will both earn spots in the 2026 National Championship.

 

Los Angeles helped set the tone for the year. Boston raises the stakes.

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