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NBA 2K14 Mod Releases: Logo Updates

NBA 2K14 Cover Art

Today’s NBA 2K14 mod releases feature an update to KLWKN 2K’s NBA team logos pack. Download it at the link below!

KLWKN 2K
2021-2022 NBA Logos (Updated to Final Version)

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and Mod Releases bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

Wayback Wednesday: The Missing Rookies of NBA Live 2002

Wayback Wednesday: The Missing Rookies of NBA Live 2002

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at the rookies that were missing in NBA Live 2002.

Official roster updates are something that we take for granted these days, especially on console. As long as we’ve had modding tools on PC, adding missing rookies and other players – eventually complete with their proper faces – has usually been a fairly straightforward task. Of course, there’s always been value in players being added through official updates. It allows them to appear in the default rosters, and in some cases utilise correct audio. They also don’t stand out from original players, as was the case in older games with more primitive Create-a-Player functionality.

Since playing with the new rookie class is an appealing prospect every year, it’s disappointing when a noteworthy draftee is absent. In older titles, that could arguably be more frustrating than the absence of holdouts such as Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley. At least in their case, developers were unable to license them. With missing rookies, their absence came down to simply not being signed to an NBA contract in time. Funnily enough, NBA Live 2002 did include MJ as an active player due to his comeback with the Washington Wizards, while a handful of prominent rookies were missing instead. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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NBA 2K23 Mod Releases: Scoreboard & Jerseys

NBA 2K23 Cover Art

Today’s NBA 2K23 mod releases include a new scoreboard by bongo88, and the latest jerseys from Pinoy21. Pick them up at the links below!

bongo88
Blazer Scoreboard

Pinoy21
Memphis Grizzlies Jersey (Pinoy21)
Portland Trail Blazers Jersey (Pinoy21)

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and Mod Releases bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

Monday Tip-Off: A PSA About NBA 2K Custom Images

Monday Tip-Off: A PSA About NBA 2K Custom Images

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with a PSA about the responsible use of custom images in the various modes of NBA 2K.

It’s easy to take features such as face scanning and custom images for granted, as they’ve been in NBA 2K for years now. In particular, the level of customisation that image uploading facilitates is a clear advantage that NBA 2K’s modes have had over their NBA Live equivalents during the past decade. Sure, it’s fun to get your favourite team’s logos and jerseys for your squad in the card collecting modes, but it’s even better when you can design your own uniforms and use a custom logo! The default expansion team assets are nice, but custom images take things to the next level.

And of course, since those customisation features are already in the game, they’re naturally a part of creating your own Pro-Am squad as well. In fact, it’s one of the features that have separated it from NBA Live’s online team play modes. Just as in MyTEAM, being able to use your own logo and decorate your arena with unique assets adds a personal touch that current and historical NBA branding just can’t offer. Sometimes custom images have been more difficult to unlock than they should be, but at the same time, I can’t blame 2K for making us jump through hoops. To that end, I’d like to put out this PSA to be more responsible and mature about custom images.

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The Sunday Substitute: The MyPLAYER Transaction Report (Part 1)

My player shaking Adam Silver's hand after being drafted by the New Orleans Pelicans.

Welcome to The Sunday Substitute – the feature that barely gets a run in 2022 but still has a presence on The NLSC bench. Today I’m digging through my archives and starting a several-part series called The MyPLAYER Transaction Report. It’s where I chronicle the teams my created ballers have played across the NBA 2K and Live series.

Once I noticed that I was basically playing for a new team in every video game, I set a goal to play for all 30 teams in the NBA. This is an ongoing project, and at the time of writing, I’ve played for 28 out of 30 teams. What are the two franchises I haven’t played for yet? That could be another article in itself!

The parameters are simple: I had to play at least one game with each build. After all, regardless of whether it’s Kareem Abdul Jabbar or JamesOn Curry, an NBA player is an NBA player. This means I’ll also include all the secondary builds I created for achievement hunting. I’ll make sure to distinguish these as I go along.

For now, the best place to start the transaction report is at the very beginning. Let’s go all the way back to NBA 2K10!

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NLSC Podcast #452: NBA Starting Five 2005, Draft Rosters, & Overall Ratings

NLSC Podcast Logo

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #452 of the NLSC Podcast!

After playing a co-op game of NBA Starting Five 2005 over Parsec, it’s clear why the game wasn’t a worldwide release! The Japanese-exclusive title is still interesting though, and it leads us to reflect on Konami’s history on the virtual hardwood. We also connected for a game of NBA Live 96 PC with work-in-progress Draft Rosters, and had a blast playing with and against stacked lineups. Our eagerness to play older games also points towards a feeling of ennui when it comes to NBA 2K23. After comparing Birthday Lineups, we open up the mailbag to quiz the community on the Top 7 Overall Ratings back in NBA 2K10, which featured a couple of surprises.

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week: November 12th, 2022

NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week

Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee4Three! New and old games alike are featured in this celebration of spectacular moments on the virtual hardwood. To submit your clips, post them in this topic, or hit up Dee on Twitter.

Defense wins championships, but so do title-clinching buzzer-beaters! You’ll see both featured in this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays, with some of that tough D leading to exciting buckets at the other end. That includes my submission of a swipe-and-slam by Penny Hardaway in NBA 2K6 for Xbox 360, courtesy of my new Elgato HD60 S that I discussed in last week’s NLSC Podcast! A total of five different titles are represented this week, ranging from NBA Live 06 PC and the aforementioned NBA 2K6 through to NBA 2K23 Next Gen, once again ensuring a variety of virtual hardwood highlights.

What was your favourite highlight this week? Sound off in the comments below, and once again, get in on the fun by sending us your best plays! Remember, as long as it’s a basketball game, it’s eligible for the countdown. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube for more basketball gaming videos.

NBA Street Vol. 2 Current & Legendary Edition Mod V2.9.9

NBA Street Vol. 2 Legendary Edition Mod

In case you’re unaware, agent_michael_scarn has an ongoing project for the GameCube version of NBA Street Vol. 2 titled the Current & Legendary Edition Mod! The mod updates the game as of the current era, while also including legendary players. I’m a little behind in posting this bulletin, but agent_michael_scarn uploaded a minor update to the project a few weeks back. Key features of v2.9.9 include:

  • Updated/Fixed Gary Payton’s Name (was McHale)
  • Updated Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren Jerseys to Thunder Jerseys

You can pick up NBA Street Vol. 2 Current & Legendary Edition here in our Downloads database! For more information on how to install it, as well as previews, further support, or if you just want to say thanks, check out this topic in the Forum.

The Friday Five: 5 Players Who Only Appeared on Certain Teams in Games (Part 7)

The Friday Five: 5 Players Who Only Appeared on Certain Teams in Games (Part 7)

Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five is Part 7 in an ongoing series where I look at players who only appeared on certain teams in video games.

Yes, we’ve reached a seventh instalment of this series profiling the players that only played for certain teams on the virtual hardwood! Whether it was due to an injury that shelved them for their entire tenure, an offseason move that was outdated by the time a game shipped, or some other circumstance, there are players whose stints with teams didn’t include any playing time in real life, but resulted in the opportunity to suit up for them in video games. As official roster updates became common, we’ve seen more of these on-paper/”phantom stints”, especially with journeymen.

This was originally meant to be the final instalment in this series, at least for now. However, I’ve had some more great examples pointed out to me, including a few very prominent players whose phantom stints I’ve overlooked in compiling the first seven articles. I suppose that speaks to how obscure some of those appearances were, and how easy it is to forget about them with so many games coming out over the years! I will get to them at some point – shout out to David for helping me out there – but in the meantime I’ve got five more examples, most of whom were fairly well-known role players back in their day, though younger fans may not be as familiar with them.

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NBA 2K23 Mod Releases: New Jerseys & Faces

NBA 2K23 Cover Art

Today’s NBA 2K23 mod releases feature the latest jerseys from Pinoy21, and new faces from Shuajota. Download them all at the links below!

Pinoy21
Milwaukee Bucks Jersey (Pinoy21)
Boston Celtics Jersey (Pinoy21) (Updated to v1.5)
Houston Rockets Jersey (Pinoy21) (Updated to v1.5)

Shuajota
Austin Reaves Face
Michael Foster Face

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and Mod Releases bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

Wayback Wednesday: Virtual Stadium Technology

Wayback Wednesday: Virtual Stadium Technology

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at Virtual Stadium Technology in the early NBA Live games.

In our desire to see games and gaming technology constantly improve, we obsess over specifications. This isn’t a new phenomenon, of course. One only needs to look back at the console wars of the 90s, where the number of bits and jargon such as Sega’s “blast processing” were thrown back and forth in the eternal fanboy debates. These days, we’re also aware of the most popular game engines, and the use of technology that we hold in high esteem is often celebrated. We also speculate on how it could help the games we’re interested in. “If only NBA Live had used Frostbite!”

It’s interesting to see how the engines and tech of different basketball games have been hyped through the years. Eco-Motion may not have lasted, but it was definitely well-received in NBA 2K14 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Conversely, although EA Sports’ IGNITE engine worked out well for other titles, it didn’t make NBA Live better than its predecessors. The Playmaker Engine in NBA Live 13 sounded good on paper, but the game shaped up so poorly that it was cancelled. And then, there’s NBA Live’s Virtual Stadium Technology. What did that entail? Let’s take a look back…way back…

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NBA 2K14 Mod Releases: 2023 Season Jerseys

NBA 2K14 Cover Art

Today’s mod releases for NBA 2K14 feature the latest 2023 season jersey updates by Pep. Download them all at the links below!

Pep
NBA Nike 2022/2023 Sponsors Updates
NBA Nike Statement Uniforms 22/23
NBA Nike Classic Uniforms 22/23

Thanks to everyone who continues to contribute to our Downloads database! If you need help uploading files, be sure to check out this video tutorial. For more information about downloads, the modding community, and Mod Releases bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.

Monday Tip-Off: A Failure to Communicate

Monday Tip-Off: A Failure to Communicate

We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with some reflections on 2K and their failure to communicate.

Social media has granted us more access to brands than ever before. Whether it’s getting in touch when there’s a problem, or staying up to date on new products and services, it’s as simple as following an official account. The way that we interact with brands is a reflection of online discourse in general, running the gamut of friendliness and respectfulness. It’s why I’ll always advocate for constructive feedback and not stooping to the level of personal attacks. Of course, I also understand feeling so frustrated that your words end up being terser than you perhaps intended.

How about the way that brands interact with us? While many official social media accounts stick to professional, PR-friendly posts and replies, some brands have developed a reputation for being provocative. The official Wendy’s account has built an online brand of sass, poking fun at its competitors and involving itself in trending topics with an assortment of zingers. Other accounts have followed their lead, with mixed results. After all, a corporation jumping on memes is often a “How do you do, fellow kids” moment. Even if it’s not, it can come across as tone-deaf, particularly when a company like 2K has demonstrated a failure to communicate with respect.

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NLSC Podcast #451: NBA 2K8, NBA Live 2000, & Jordan vs Bird

NLSC Podcast Logo

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #451 of the NLSC Podcast!

Revisiting NBA 2K8 produced a very satisfying co-op win, and also brought back memories of two Bens on the  Chicago Bulls. We also had a session with NBA Live 2000 in order to compare it to NBA Live 99, and the verdict is that they’re both pretty exceptional releases! We’re also going extremely old school this week, as we played the PC version of Jordan vs Bird via floppy disk; after entering the correct value from the copy protection wheel, of course. We also reflect on former Boston Celtic point guard Marcus Banks, discuss recent retro pickups and modding projects, and open up the mailbag to discuss favourite cover players and some interesting cover player trivia.

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week: November 5th, 2022

NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week

Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee4Three! New and old games alike are featured in this celebration of spectacular moments on the virtual hardwood. To submit your clips, post them in this topic, or hit up Dee on Twitter.

Once again, contact dunks in Next Gen NBA 2K have produced some immensely satisfying posters in this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays! Of course, video game dunks have always been exciting, as demonstrated by an alley-oop finish from Reggie Lewis in NBA Live 96, using the work-in-progress roster that we discussed in last week’s NLSC Podcast. The NBA Live 2001 Legends are also up to their usual tricks, while the top two spots belong to a couple of very unique highlights. As always, these great plays from six different games will get you in the mood for a fun weekend of basketball gaming!

What was your favourite highlight this week? Sound off in the comments below, and once again, get in on the fun by sending us your best plays! Remember, as long as it’s a basketball game, it’s eligible for the countdown. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to us on YouTube for more basketball gaming videos.