NLSC Your source for basketball video games.

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 thoughts on revisiting games in which I mostly played MyCAREER, and enjoying some fresh experiences.

When it comes to our impressions of basketball games with an array of modes, what we play is a significant factor. After all, while the underlying gameplay mechanics are obviously the same, their suitability and our tolerance for any issues can vary from mode to mode. There have definitely been games that were more enjoyable in certain modes, depending on the tuning and whether or not we could alter it. As such, if you mostly stick to one mode, you may not be aware of some of a game’s strengths and weaknesses. It’s why we can remember the same games very differently.

After really getting into MyCAREER in NBA 2K13, it became my mode of choice for the next seven years or so. That’s not to say that it was the only mode I played, but when it comes to NBA 2K on PlayStation 4 and PC, many of my fondest memories are of MyCAREER and its connected experiences. I don’t regret that, as it represents hours of fun on the virtual hardwood. At the same time, it does mean that there were modes and content I wasn’t able to truly enjoy, since levelling up a MyPLAYER and playing through an NBA season is a huge commitment. To that end, revisiting some of those games and playing something other than MyCAREER has been refreshing.

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The Steam Sports Fest is currently offering some excellent deals for PC sports gamers. One game that I’d recommend picking up during the sale is Basketball Classics, developed by our friends Josh and Dave from Namo Gamo. It’s currently 65% off until December 15th at 10 AM EST, and that price is an absolute steal.

For those who are unfamiliar with Basketball Classics, it’s a love letter to 8-bit era hoops video games such as Double Dribble. However, it’s been updated with some modern mechanics such as playcalling and a shot meter, as well as a season mode and roster editing. There’s also a story mode that unlocks some bonus teams, one of which is a squad made up of NLSC THRILLHO members complete with our logo on the court. And yes, after all this time I still get a kick out of being an official unlockable character in a video game!

You can find Basketball Classics here in the Steam store. We also had the pleasure of chatting with Josh and Dave in Episodes #262, #306, #342, and #343 of the NLSC Podcast. Tune in to those shows to learn more about the development of the game, as well as hear their stories about the basketball games they played growing up and thoughts on the genre in general. Additionally, back in September Namo Gamo announced their partnership with the revived Acclaim, which will see Basketball Classics land on consoles at some point in the near future. Stay tuned for more details on that, and congratulations to Josh and Dave once again on both the partnership and continued success of the game!

Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee! 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, send Dee a message, or hit him up on X.

Real world Legends and Virtual Hardwood Legends collide once again in this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays, as both Michael Jordan and Alonzo Gee provide dazzling displays of aerial artistry! Likewise, Kobe Bryant and Jacque Vaughn both came up big in the clutch, leading their teams to satisfying victories. Eight different basketball video games are featured in this week’s countdown, from NBA in the Zone all the way up to NBA 2K26. You know that our Top 10 is the best way to get hyped for a weekend on the virtual hardwood, so enough talk; let’s get to the action!

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.

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 a list of five lost basketball video game saves that I’m tempted to reboot and play once again.

Decades of basketball gaming has resulted in far too many of my saves being lost. Sometimes it’s due to unfortunate technical issues, but all too often, I’ve made the mistake of believing that I was done with a particular game and carelessly discarded those files. As I’ve come to realise – especially with my preference for retro basketball gaming in recent years – I’m actually quite likely to revisit old favourites and make them a part of my rotation once again! To that point, it’s a shame that I can’t resume those lost Season, Franchise, and Dynasty saves when I dust off classic titles.

Of course, while the original saves may be lost, the ideas live on! With that in mind, while recovering those lost saves is highly unlikely unless I discover some backups somewhere – and trust me, I’ve already looked – I can always re-create them. Now that I’ve made my return to franchise gaming and reignited my passion for playing through seasons, I’m open to making that something I do with any old favourites that I end up getting hooked on. Sure, it wouldn’t be a true continuation of those lost saves, and it’d be tough to truly re-create the magic of the original experiences. I do think it’d be a lot of fun, though! With that being said, I’m quite tempted to reboot these five lost saves.

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If you’re still playing NBA 2K24 on any platform, you’ve probably seen the pop-up about the server shutdown that is scheduled for December 31st, 2025. After this date, MyTEAM, MyCAREER, and all other connected modes and online features will no longer be available. In-game roster and tuning updates will also cease to come through upon booting up the game.

It is therefore advisable that you wrap up any business in MyTEAM and MyCAREER in the near future. If there are any community rosters or sliders that you’d like to have, you should download them as soon as possible. As long as you hold onto those files, you’ll still be able to use them after online support ends. Offline modes such as MyLEAGUE and Play Now will also still be functional, though any online features such as Community Uploads for re-branding in MyLEAGUE obviously won’t be.

Note that if you uninstall and reinstall NBA 2K24 after the server shutdown, you’ll be missing the final roster and tuning updates. As far as I know, there’s no way to back up and restore that data on console, so the only way to preserve it is to keep the game installed. However, you can back up sync.bin and other files for the PC version. Please see below for more information on how to locate that folder.

The NBA 2K24 server shutdown follows 27 months of online support. 2K extended support for all of their titles from 18 to 27 months following the backlash when the NBA 2K14 servers were shut down. NBA 2K24 was removed from digital stores at the end of October, so if you want to add it to your collection, you’ll either need to track down a Steam key from a reseller or pick up a physical copy for one of the consoles. For future reference, the NBA 2K25 servers will be shut down at the end of next year, while NBA 2K26 will be supported through to the end of 2027. While that’s still over a year away at this point, it tends to come around fast, so be prepared!

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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 reflecting on my feelings of nostalgia and indeed anemoia when playing with players from before my time in basketball games.

Like most people, my nostalgia for basketball and basketball gaming is intertwined. Whether I’m dusting off a classic game or playing with historical content in a newer title, I’m usually indulging my nostalgia for the 90s and 2000s. However, I’ve grown increasingly fond of playing with many of the Legends from before my time. This includes players who retired before I was even born, as well as those whose careers wrapped up shortly before I became a hardcore basketball fan in the mid 90s. Even though I didn’t grow up watching those players, they’re still nostalgic to me.

It may sound strange to have nostalgia for a time that I never experienced, but it’s not uncommon. In fact, John Koenig’s Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows has given a name to such feelings: the aforementioned anemoia. Needless to say, it applies to more than just basketball and basketball gaming, but it aptly describes my newfound enthusiasm for playing with players from before my time. Although it’s more of a recent habit for me, upon reflection, my introduction to basketball clearly laid the groundwork for such anemoia. Let’s take a look at how I’ve come to enjoy going back…way back…

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #609 of the NLSC Podcast!

During a recent podcast appearance, former NBA coach turned analyst Stan Van Gundy made some eyebrow-raising claims: specifically, that Nikola Jokic is the GOAT, Luka Doncic is the best offensive player of all-time, and that the best 20 players in NBA history have all played within the last 20 years. This week, we join the community in responding to these hot takes, as well as speculate on the motivations behind making them. There’s actually an interesting parallel with the basketball gaming community here! We also discuss a few other popular but nevertheless erroneous historical narratives that are about to complicate the GOAT debate, once fans and talking heads alike notice the contradictions.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:00:39 — 42.0MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

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!

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 thoughts on the dichotomy of shooting mechanics in modern basketball video games.

Over the decades, developers of basketball video games have strived to make their controls and gameplay mechanics deeper and more skill-based. This has of course resulted in hits and misses throughout the years, as some ideas have proven to be better – and more fun – than others. The successful ideas have become staples of the genre, persisting even as other elements of the games are revamped. To that end, just as modern basketball games aren’t about to eschew right stick dribbling controls, it’s difficult to see them shying away from shooting mechanics based on Green Releases.

Once again, there’s a reason that both of those concepts have prevailed as staples of NBA 2K, as well as the last two NBA Live games. Modern dribbling controls offer precision that wasn’t possible by simply tapping a crossover or spin move button, while today’s shooting mechanics avoid the somewhat contrived ambiguity of RNG; well, for the most part, anyway. At the same time, this skill-based approach definitely isn’t perfect either. There’s undoubtedly merit in rewarding gamers for precise timing with a 100% chance of success, but it can be punishingly challenging, not to mention unbalanced and unrealistic. And so, there’s a dichotomy to these shooting mechanics.

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Was my last round-up of basketball gaming highlights on the NLSC YouTube channel really back in March? It appears so, which confirms two things. One, 2025 flew by way too fast. Two, my resolution to regularly post bulletins spotlighting our basketball gaming highlights hasn’t been going as well as I intended! With that being said, here’s a post to get you caught up on what’s been going on with the NLSC YouTube channel in recent months.

As you may know, Dee and I are currently playing an Association in NBA 2K9 with the Chicago Bulls. We made this decision after a few sessions with both NBA Live 09 and NBA 2K9, in which we tried out a handful of teams. Dee has shared the best moments from those preliminary games, as well as our Association so far. He’s also uploaded highlights from our other co-op basketball gaming sessions and head-to-head games with community members, including a 1985 showdown in NBA 2K13, a clash of All-Decade teams in NBA Live 2000, and a game between Pitt and Georgetown in NCAA Basketball 10.

Dee has been playing the most recent NBA 2K games more than I have, and he’s shared some fantastic highlights from those sessions. Those reels include Victor Wembanyama scoring 75 points, Paige Bueckers showing off her bag, top moments from the first 10 games of a Legends vs. Current NBA MyNBA, and other NBA 2K25 and NBA 2K26 gameplay videos. You’ll also find some footage of NBA Superstars for the arcade featuring Anthony Edwards, and a reel of the 2010 Suns vs 2004 Timberwolves in NBA 2K14.

Meanwhile, as I wrapped up Year 6 in my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER, I posted highlights from each round of the 2019 Playoffs. I’ve also shared highlights of my games of NBA Live 18 and NBA Live 19 with 2025 and 2026 rosters respectively. Speaking of custom rosters, I also posted highlights from a game of NBA 2K6 featuring the 1997 Bulls and Rockets, and Michael Jordan being added to the Wizards in an NBA Live 96 work-in-progress roster. There was a new entry in the NBA 2K14 Retro Series featuring the 1971 Lakers and Hawks, and I also made tributes for Lenny Wilkens and Rodney Rogers in NBA Live 19 Ultimate Team and NBA 2K17 respectively.

Check out all of those basketball gaming highlights below! I know I’ve said it before, but moving forward, I’ll certainly endeavour to spotlight each new video with a bulletin here on the NLSC. In the meantime, make sure you’re following us on social media where we always share our latest uploads, and of course, subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more basketball gaming highlights and other content!

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Get ready for more fantastic highlights from the basketball gaming community in the NLSC Top 10 Plays of the Week, curated by Dee! 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, send Dee a message, or hit him up on X.

The virtual counterparts of some of basketball’s biggest names are featured in this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays! Michael Jordan, who makes multiple appearances. Kobe Bryant. LeBron James. Steven Hunter. Alright, that last one is a little out of place, but as in real life, role players can produce some spectacular moments in video games. Indeed, it’s how they become Virtual Hardwood Legends! In any case, this week’s countdown features another ten plays to get you hyped up for a weekend of basketball gaming, with four different titles on display from NBA Live 2003 through to NBA 2K26. Let’s get to the action!

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.

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 a list of five ways that we misremember basketball video games.

Just how well do you think you remember all of the basketball video games you’ve ever played? I’d like to think that I have a pretty good memory – especially when it comes to my passions – but I’m hardly infallible in my recollections! Sure, I’ve made a lot of memories with basketball video games, and remember quite a few things off the top of my head. If it’s been a while since I played a game though, chances are some of the specifics will have slipped my mind. There’s a reason I have to do research for my features, because when I don’t, mistakes and omissions are inevitable!

To that point, there have definitely been times when I’ve trusted my memory when I shouldn’t have. I’d suggest that we’re all guilty of that from time to time. Indeed, based on comments about basketball video games that I’ve seen in various online spaces, it’s safe to say that a lot of people misremember them in some way. It’s usually an honest and understandable mistake, and it may only be a minor detail. Nevertheless, we’re all bound to misremember a thing or two about a game when it’s been a long time since we last played it. With that in mind – no pun intended – here are five ways that we commonly misremember basketball video games whenever we’re discussing them.

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A new version of the Olympic Basketball Legacy mod for NBA 2K20 by RayRay_953 and company is now available! As the name would imply, the project celebrates the basketball tournament at the Olympic Games, as well as other international clashes on the hardwood.

V8 of the Olympic Basketball Legacy mod includes some exciting additions. Every single team that competed in the McDonald’s Open/McDonald’s Championship has been added, representing a number of league champions from around the world. Teams that took part in the NBA Europe Live Tour are also featured in the new release, complete with some jerseys that were originally only seen in NBA Live 07. Other international exhibitions are also accounted for, including NCAA squads taking on national teams, and the NBL’s Adelaide 36ers squaring off against the Phoenix Suns in 2022.

Pick up Olympic Basketball Legacy V8 here in the Forum! The mod is now an all-in-one download, and the necessary sync.bin file is also available if you’re having trouble getting it to work with your game. For more information on installing the mod, check out this video tutorial. Shout out to RayRay_953 and company once again for another fantastic release, and for making it freely available to one and all! If you’re still playing NBA 2K20, you may also want to check out Thunder Shaq’s Ultimate Retro Roster, which now includes a 2026 season update.

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 attending a midnight launch for the PlayStation 4 here in Australia, and my first impressions of the console.

My Facebook Memories reminded me that in the early hours of November 29th 2013, I returned from a midnight launch of the PlayStation 4 at a retailer here in Australia. The console had launched in North America a couple of weeks earlier, so I’d already heard others share their initial impressions of NBA Live 14 and NBA 2K14. Needless to say, I had some concerns – especially about the former – but I tried to keep an open mind. After all, I wanted to be excited about the new generation of basketball gaming that I’d be experiencing from Day One; or near enough, anyway.

That first experience with the PlayStation 4 and two new next generation basketball video games – as well as a third title that I picked up – is certainly interesting for me to reflect upon. Suffice it to say, my feelings towards the console and at least one of those releases have changed over the years. I still have some mixed thoughts about the eighth generation, though to date I like it a lot more than the ninth! With PlayStation celebrating its 30th Anniversary, and November 29th marking 12 years since the Australian launch of the PlayStation 4, it’s a good time to look back…way back…

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #608 of the NLSC Podcast!

With the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S very likely to be superseded by new consoles within the next few years, what are our thoughts on the most recent generation of NBA 2K games? This week, we’re ranking NBA 2K21 through NBA 2K26 from best to worst, with a few members of the community also weighing in with their rankings and opinions. We also discuss our overall view of Ninth Gen NBA 2K, noting some of the key mistakes the series has made, as well as some of the things that it has done right. Additionally, we touch on our level of optimism for future releases, the issue of games feeling disposable nowadays, and the desperate need for competition in the basketball gaming space.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:03:11 — 43.7MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

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!

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 the challenges we face while trying to capture historical screenshots.

Between the topics I cover in various articles and my retro gaming habits involving classic teams and matchups, I’m often capturing screenshots of historical scenarios. Needless to say, there are some challenges when it comes to trying to snap the ideal shot. Obviously, many of them apply to virtual hardwood photography in general. From technical limitations to the available content to difficulty in staging everything the way you see it in your mind, the final result may not be exactly what you want. Of course, other times the results can be extremely satisfying.

To that end, I really enjoy firing up a game, tinkering with the rosters as necessary, and finding ways to stage historical scenarios for some great screenshots! Indeed, on top of using historical screenshots to illustrate the facts and trivia that I’m writing about, the theme of a number of my features in recent years has basically revolved around virtual pictures speaking their proverbial thousand words. Not only has this allowed me to indulge my nostalgia and love of NBA history, but it’s been fun trying my hand at some more visually creative content. Once again though, these historical screenshots come with several challenges, though tackling them has been rewarding.

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