This is what happened to me the other day (though I hit alt+F4 before getting to the email entry part in hopes of salvaging my guy). I've not gone back into the game since, as I'm waiting for all this server stuff to settle down first.
I haven't done anything online at all (just created my face and unlocked some VC), but the fact that the MyPlayer setup is at the start of the game forces you into dealing with the server stuff.
At least I know some of my stuff saved on the server, since when I log into the app, My VC shows up correctly. Just gotta get past these early issues. I guess.
EDIT: For those that haven't seen it, here is a link to 2K's status page, so you can see what's up before starting the game:
http://nba2k.com/status