NLSC Your source for basketball video games.

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.

A wild alley-oop from our NBA 2K9 Association, a re-creation of one of the top dunks of the 1998 season in ESPN NBA 2Night 2002, and a modded-in Anthony Edwards doing his best Spider-Man impression in NBA 2K16. That’s just a small sample of the spectacular moments you’ll find in this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays! A total of six different basketball video games are providing poster dunks, ankle-breakers, big swats, and more, in another countdown that signals it’s time to hit the virtual hardwood. 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 useful hacks we’ve been able to utilise in basketball video games.

Although “hacks” and “hacking” are terms that have come to be associated with acts that are malicious or unscrupulous uses of technology, they also refer to inelegant yet quick, creative, and effective solutions in programming. Indeed, Al Lowe – the creator of Leisure Suit Larry – described the method of using one background picture and four mostly transparent cells to create the bamboo maze in Leisure Suit Larry 3 as being his favourite hack. Ironically, this means that while many people disdain the term “life hacks”, it’s actually using “hack” in a similar context to software development!

To that point, modding involves hacks; not just the process of breaking into the game files and altering them, but cobbling together solutions utilising functionality that was intended for developer use, or in a way that was otherwise unintended. This list of the most useful hacks in basketball video games is a mixture of values we discovered we could change to mod or unlock content, and hidden or unadvertised functionality that we can make use of. To that end, we could certainly debate as to whether all of them strictly qualify as hacks, but there’s no doubt that they were useful! And so, without any further ado, here are five ways that we’ve been able to cleverly tinker with games.

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Mod releases for NBA 2K25 are certainly still a welcome sight in our community, and we have a new one today from wiscard_rush: namely, a comprehensive Draft Class Teams roster project. Check it out at the link below!

wiscard_rush
NBA Draft Class Years Roster Project (96-25)

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.

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 NBA Jam 99.

After Acclaim snatched the NBA Jam moniker away from Midway, they attempted to continue the series with NBA Jam Extreme. Although losing the iconic brand was naturally a blow, Midway nevertheless released their own superb follow-up to NBA Jam Tournament Edition in NBA Hangtime. To that point, while Acclaim had the name, Midway boasted the superior game. With that in mind, it’s perhaps no surprise that Acclaim sought to change up the formula with NBA Jam 99, moving away from an arcade style and adopting more of a sim or sim-arcade hybrid approach.

Of course, while that differentiated it from previous NBA Jam titles and Midway’s new arcade hoops games, it also placed NBA Jam 99 in direct competition with the NBA Live series. However, Acclaim didn’t completely abandon the series’ roots with NBA Jam 99, as it included an arcade mode. While true sim-arcade hybrid basketball games have their place and I’ve come to appreciate them, NBA Jam 99 wasn’t a good take on the concept. Indeed, it was proof that Midway deserved the name that they coined far more than Acclaim did. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #614 of the NLSC Podcast!

Who are the most dominant players when they’re controlled by the CPU in basketball video games? This week, we join the community in discussing some of the most unguardable players that we’ve encountered on the virtual hardwood over the years, at least when they’re in the hands of the AI. Whether it’s an issue with the engine, or their ratings are slightly overdone or completely inaccurate, these stars and role players alike have given us fits on the sticks. We also reflect on the frustration of not always being able to light it up with those same players ourselves, and mention a few players who haven’t been as dominant in video games they really should be.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:03:25 — 43.9MB)

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 how nostalgia is something special that we’re lucky to have, rather than being sad and pitiable.

Nostalgia has been getting a bad rap for quite a while now. Oh sure, there’s plenty of nostalgic communities and content online, as many of us love to reminisce. However, there has undoubtedly been a noticeable backlash to nostalgia as online demographics have shifted over the past decade or so. Beyond tired arguments about what was better – then or now – the discourse has been polluted by smug armchair psychoanalysis. If you’re nostalgic, or prefer to stick with something older, you must be hung up on the past, miserably chasing a moment in time that you’ll never get back.

Now, I can’t say that that doesn’t hold true for some people, though I’ll say it with far more sympathy and understanding than those who want to dump on the past to prop up the present! For many of us though, continuing to enjoy the classics – or at least looking back on them fondly – is neither depressing, nor preventing us from having new experiences. And so, the idea that nostalgia is a sad, delusional cry for help is infuriatingly condescending. Frankly, if we’ve made fond memories with our interests and passions that we can enthusiastically recall, then we’re extremely fortunate. If those things can still bring us joy, we’re even luckier. There’s nothing sad about that.

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It’s always nice to see new mod releases for NBA 2K17 after all these years, and we have one to share today. BattlePhenom has recently released a Nike KD4 All Star Galaxy shoe update for Kevin Durant, and you can find it at the link below.

BattlePhenom
Nike KD4 All Star Galaxy

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.

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 NLSC Top 10 Plays is back to its regular timeslot this week, ready to fire you up for a weekend on the virtual hardwood! I’d suggest it’ll be impossible not to jump on the sticks after watching this jaw-dropping array of aerial wizardry, slick passes, incredible ankle-breakers, and another wild game-winning shot. Three different basketball games are featured in the countdown, namely NBA 2K14, NBA Live 19, and NBA 2K26. While the rotation may be shorter this week, everyone is clearly having a blast with their game of choice. 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 interactive areas that were featured in basketball video games before The Neighborhood (and The City).

I don’t enjoy feeling cynical about basketball video games, or any of my hobbies and interests for that matter. Some might argue that cynicism and experience go hand-in-hand – there’s a scene from the old Dilbert animated series that suggests as such – but I’d like to think that we’re not doomed to become Debbie Downers about our favourite things! With that being said, it’s impossible not to notice when game design is lacking in goodwill and incorporating greedy recurrent revenue mechanics, or is frustrating and problematic in some other way.

It’s why I’ve always had my reservations about The Neighborhood (and subsequently The City) in MyCAREER. In some ways it’s interesting and immersive to have an open world to explore, but as I’ve explained, it’s not necessarily a good fit for the genre. More to the point, once you look beyond the creativity of the concept, you can see how it pushes advertising and recurrent revenue mechanics on gamers, while also padding out playtime. It’s a shame that it’s so cynically corporate, because there was a time when interactive areas in basketball games were a fun idea. To that end, here are five interactive areas that preceded The Neighborhood that were definitely cool to see.

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Patch 4.0 is out now for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S version of NBA 2K26, with the PC patch set to be released this Friday in time for Season 4. As always, it should come through automatically as long as you’re online. If it doesn’t, try restarting your console or Steam client, or checking for updates manually.

Unlike the mysterious update back in December, we do actually have patch notes this time around. In addition to preparing NBA 2K26 for Season 4 in MyTEAM and MyCAREER, Patch 4.0 includes new RealVoice player interviews, likeness updates, and corrections to classic jerseys. There are also technical fixes for issues throughout the game modes, and a couple of PC-specific updates to improve performance.

You can find the full notes for Patch 4.0 below, as well as in the NBA 2K26 update history in our Wiki. Feel free to share any impressions in the comments, as well as join in the discussion here in the Forum!

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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 going back to NBA Live 95 to trade players and create jersey swaps that represent future stints.

If you played either of the 16-bit versions of NBA Live 95 back in the day, you’ll know that roster customisation is extremely limited. We can only trade players in Season mode, and even then, only the five starters for each team are available to swap. This is because the game only includes portraits for the starters, so any trade that placed a bench player in the starting lineup would result in an inconsistency in the presentation. For the same reason, we can’t change our starters prior to the pre-game introductions, though we can actually pause and substitute them just before tip-off.

On the bright side, whenever we make trades involving the starters, their jerseys will be changed to reflect their new team. Whereas the PC version used (for the time) high resolution Media Day headshots and thus had static portraits, the 16-bit versions of NBA Live 95 placed player heads on an assortment of matching shoulders. Not only did this save space on the cartridge, but it facilitates jersey swaps whenever a trade is made. To that point, I’ve made jersey swaps in NBA Live 95 for the Super Nintendo to represent several notable future stints. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #613 of the NLSC Podcast!

Happy New Year, fellow basketball gamers and hardcore hoop heads! As 2026 gets underway, we’re tipping things off by joining the community in discussing our plans for this year when it comes to basketball gaming and real basketball alike. From creating mods, polishing up old releases, and expanding our gaming rotations, to watching classic games, getting involved in local leagues, and simply shooting around more often, it’s fair to say that we’re primed to have a blast with hoops over the next twelve months! We also reflect on the most recent game in our co-op Chicago Bulls Association in NBA 2K9, which saw us pick up a very satisfying victory over a Divisional rival.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:10:07 — 48.5MB)

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 advice for 2026: just keep scrolling.

Nothing is for everyone. I wish I could phrase that more eloquently and profoundly, but when it comes down to it, that’s the way it is. This is as true for content on the internet as it is for TV shows, movies, music, video games, or basically anything else you can name. Not every YouTube video will be appealing to you. Not every forum, Reddit, or social media post will concern a topic that you care about. Not every article that I or anyone else writes will be interesting to everyone that happens to stumble across it. Even if you’re the intended audience, it still may not be your thing.

That’s OK, but somehow, too many people still take great exception to encountering something that they’re not interested in. Now, you could say that there are far more important matters in the world, but that’s kind of my point here. If the worst thing that happens to you today is that you’re suggested a video or a social media post that just doesn’t interest you, I’d argue that it’s been a pretty good day! And yet, some people still can’t help lashing out with snark and outright hostility when either the algorithm or a creator they follow delivers content that’s completely inoffensive, but simply not their cup of tea. It’s ridiculous because there’s an easy solution: just keep scrolling!

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With the help of a handful of contributors, PatTheHead’s pack of retro season rosters for NBA 2K13 continues to get better and deeper! Since the December update, ukwe and abdelkaders have contributed new end-of-season and start-of-season rosters for various campaigns, going right back to the NBA of the 1950s.

Additionally, Morteferum has contributed several new player faces, which are all included in the latest update. Furthermore, the 2025 Emirates NBA Cup Finals court has been added, enhancing the current 2026 season rosters that are also part of this fantastic pack.

For those who are unfamiliar with the project, PatTheHead’s pack not only updates NBA 2K13 for the current season, but also includes retro season rosters for the NBA, ABA, BAA, NBL, ABL, NBPL, and PBLA. It also features rosters for the Olympic Games, as well as other FIBA tournaments. As I’ve said before, it’s truly a celebration of basketball history, and a love letter to the sport.

You can download it here in the project’s release topic, where you’ll also find previews, ongoing updates, and other information. Shout out as always to PatTheHead and everyone else who continues to contribute to this amazing mod, and a big thanks for making it freely available for everyone!

With my current preference for retro basketball gaming, one of my modding goals for 2026 is to release some new and fixed updates for old favourites. Late last year, I mentioned that I was dabbling with enhancing an old Michael Jordan face for NBA Live 99 PC, in part so that I’d have a suitable update to spruce up my 2002 season rosters.

I’m happy to say that I’ve finished work on that MJ update, and it’s now available to download! The new pack includes the original Michael Jordan face and his red and black leg sleeve that was created by Kit Dizon way back in 1999. I’ve added an updated blue and black version of the sleeve that’s suitable for MJ’s Wizards stint, and replaced Kit’s custom portrait with the one from NBA Live 2001 which has proper transparency. I’ve also included the custom play-by-play and arena speech update created by two of our founders, Tim and Brien. The Bulls and Wizards versions of MJ are using different filenames, so they can be installed simultaneously and used by different rosters as necessary.

Unfortunately, the portrait files in NBA Live 99 are a bit finnicky. To that end, thus far I haven’t had any luck importing a headshot of Michael Jordan from his Wizards tenure with a transparent background. As such, both versions of MJ are currently using the NBA Live 2001 portrait in which he’s sporting a Bulls jersey. If I can solve that issue or I discover any other ways to enhance the mod, I’ll release a further update as necessary.

For now though, you can download the enhanced Michael Jordan update for NBA Live 99 here. Instructions on how to use the files with a custom roster are included. Shout out and full credit to Kit, Tim, and Brien for the work they did way back in the 90s! Stay tuned for some more retro releases, including an end-of-season update for my aforementioned 2002 roster with player faces and other improvements. If you need help getting NBA Live 99 to run on modern Windows, check out this guide over on Matt’s Classic PC Gaming!