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 how there are times that I miss dice roll shooting mechanics in basketball video games.

At this point, it’s a safe bet to say that Green Releases will remain a fixture of NBA 2K’s shooting mechanics moving forward. It’s just a matter of how they’re handled, and whether there are any additional controls and mechanics such as shot aiming or rhythm shooting with the right stick. In recent years, the “Green or Miss” approach to shooting has been particularly contentious. On one hand, it rewards skilful input with a guaranteed result (blocked attempts notwithstanding). On the other hand, it’s not necessarily accessible, or preferable for offline play.

It’s funny to revisit the discourse around Green Releases back in 2017, when Mike Wang spoke of a desire to wean gamers off of the idea that they should be guaranteed baskets. “Green or Miss” certainly goes against that aim, demonstrating how attitudes have changed as NBA 2K has increasingly catered to the online scene. Personally, I’m in favour of Green Releases being guaranteed, very good or near-perfect releases still being reliable, and then progressively lower odds of success as the timing gets worse. To that point, while I wouldn’t change the approach of Green Releases always being successful, I must admit that I sometimes miss the old dice roll shooting mechanics.

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If you aren’t subscribed to our YouTube channel…well, first of all, why not?!? Secondly, there’s a good chance that you’ll have missed Dee’s latest uploads, featuring highlights from NBA the Run and the PlayStation 2 version of NBA 2K11. If so, here’s your chance to catch up on those videos!

Dee had the opportunity to take part in the closed beta for NBA The Run this week, and he put together a reel of Anthony Edwards highlights from his session with the soon-to-be-released game. Be sure to tune into the next episode of the NLSC Podcast, as Dee will be providing his in-depth impressions of NBA The Run.

As we mentioned in Episode #628 of the NLSC Podcast, Dee and I recently revisited the PlayStation 2 version of NBA 2K11. The session produced a handful of exciting highlights – including one that made this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays – and so Dee assembled a five-minute reel spotlighting the best moments.

Check out both of those videos below! Once again, we invite you to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel if you haven’t already. In addition to the Top 10, podcast, and gameplay highlight reels such as these, we also post game retrospectives and other video essays from time to time. As always, feel free to hit us up with suggestions for games that you’d like to see us play, as well as discuss in future episodes of the NLSC Podcast.

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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.

A couple of games are making their debut in the NLSC Top 10 Plays this week, including a title that won’t be out until June! A high-flying highlight from NBA The Run soars into the countdown, courtesy of the closed beta that took place this week. You’ll also find the flashy play that Dee and I discussed in Episode #628 of the NLSC Podcast, which came from our session with the PlayStation 2 version of NBA 2K11. Additionally, five other games provide the goods with poster dunks, breathtaking alley-oops, and clutch shots. 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 inaccuracies and other issues that have bothered me while basketball gaming.

Even the best basketball video games have had issues and inaccuracies. Perfection is basically an impossible bar to reach, and coding a sophisticated video game of any genre is hardly as simple as typing plain English into a word processor! Also, some ideas simply just don’t pan out. And so, we accept that our favourite hoops titles will have imperfections. In the best case scenario, it doesn’t stop us from enjoying them. Mind you, because we’re passionate about basketball and basketball gaming alike, any major inaccuracies and technical issues are naturally difficult to ignore.

Of course, these issues and inaccuracies don’t always ruin basketball video games. As I said, even our favourite games have them, and we all have different standards and expectations besides. With that being said, while technical problems, inaccuracies, and other issues may not completely spoil a game, they can still end up bothering us. The good ultimately outweighs the bad, but they’re still the finer points that we can’t help but notice, and would like to see fixed and improved upon for an even better experience. To that end, while the following five issues and inaccuracies didn’t stop me from having fun on the virtual hardwood, they were nevertheless a bit annoying!

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We’ve been keeping an eye on NBA The Run since it was announced – indeed, since it was The Run: Got Next – and we’ve just been given a closer look with the first gameplay trailer. Additionally, there’s a forthcoming closed beta, and a few content creators have already got their hands on the game. As such, we can expect to hear more impressions in the near future.

Although the trailer naturally features cinematic cuts and angles, we do get to see clips of the game in action. They spotlight some of the flashy dunks that we’ll be able to pull off, long lobs off the backboard, and other moves including step backs and double alley-oops. Beyond that, the trailer also gives us a look at how the players move, and a general gist of what to expect from the gameplay.

Additionally, the gameplay trailer revealed that NBA The Run will be released in June 2026, with the game’s listing on Steam also being updated accordingly. Presumably, we’ll get a more specific release date in the weeks to come.

Check out the trailer below! Dee and I have been sharing our thoughts on NBA The Run on the NLSC Podcast, and you can be sure that we’ll have more to say in the wake of the gameplay trailer. You can listen to our most recent opinions in Episode #624, but stay tuned for more of our commentary and impressions! In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts on the trailer in the comments below, 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 taking a look back at NBA ShootOut ’97, aka Total NBA ’97 in PAL regions.

The first NBA ShootOut was an admirable effort by a brand new studio to provide an alternative to EA Sports’ established series of basketball games. However, as I noted in my retrospective of that game, it ultimately fell short of NBA Live 96 PC, which remains my pick for the best 1996 NBA sim title. Having recently spent more time with the PlayStation version of NBA Live 96, I’d also have to say that EA beat Sony on its own platform! Nevertheless, it was nice to have options; something that many of us greatly miss in light of NBA 2K’s virtual monopoly over the virtual hardwood.

To that end, when we had more developers throwing their hat into the ring with basketball video games back in the day, a few of them didn’t just stop at one. They made an effort to establish their own NBA series with annual releases to compete with NBA Live. Obviously it was ultimately NBA 2K that succeeded in dethroning EA’s game, but there were other commendable attempts along the way. That brings us to NBA ShootOut ’97, aka Total NBA ’97. Did Sony Computer Entertainment’s second hoops title improve upon the first NBA ShootOut? Let’s take a look back…way back…

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #628 of the NLSC Podcast!

While it’s certainly exciting to be on the cutting edge of gaming technology, we’re not always in a rush to upgrade our hardware and play the (supposedly) most advanced versions of basketball video games. This week, we’re taking a look at why many basketball gamers often opt to stick with last gen hoops titles – ourselves included – and some of the benefits of delaying a jump to the next generation. We also touch on next gen elitism and gatekeeping – in particular, the “you’re broke” crowd – and the community shares their experiences in sticking with last gen basketball video games. Suffice it to say that it’s been a more common practice over the years than some people may think!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:02:02 — 43.0MB)

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 how you don’t have to miss the basketball video games that you used to play.

Between our personal accounts and the NLSC’s socials, Dee and I frequently share short clips, highlight reels, and screenshots from various basketball video games. Because we love the classics, sometimes we’ll go a long way back with those posts. It seems that many of our fellow basketball gamers appreciate that hit of nostalgia, as we’ll get replies reminiscing about epic battles, players that were a blast to use, and interesting details that are impossible to forget. It’s fun to go back, which is why we have Wayback Wednesday and our deep dives on the NLSC Podcast.

However, in the midst of all the nostalgic delight, there’s a recurring comment that always jumps out at me: “I miss this game”, or words to that effect. It makes sense. There’s obviously a wistful aspect to nostalgia, wishing that you could go back to a specific time if only briefly. Of course, like favourite books, TV shows, and movies, you can revisit and continue to enjoy video games many years later. You don’t have to miss any of the classic games that we spotlight here or on our social media channels! At the same time, I do get it. There are a variety of reasons why you may not be able to play old video games, but if doing so is feasible, you needn’t have to miss them.

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Long before Leftos joined the NBA 2K development team, he was creating fantastic modding tools for our community. He made a point of making those utilities open source, so that other programmers could potentially update them in his stead. To that end, the NBA 2K Audio Editor that Leftos and Nesa24 originally created all those years ago has been updated by Eddie 2K.

In addition to fixing a few bugs and improving compatibility with longer files, Eddie 2K’s update to the NBA 2K Audio Editor includes a light and dark mode. There’s also a function to download and convert music from YouTube. You can pick up the new version of the tool here!

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.

Every entry in the NLSC Top 10 Plays represents a joyful moment playing basketball video games. This has perhaps never been more apparent than in this week’s top play, where you’ll see the Live 01 Legends reacting to an absolutely awesome alley-oop from their showdown in NBA Live 2005! Some minimalist modding is also on display in that highlight, which is always great to see. The rest of the countdown is packed with great dunks, slick moves, and other exciting moments from eight different games ranging from NBA Hangtime 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 remnants of missing and removed features in basketball video games.

Features and content are removed from all genres of video games for a variety of reasons, from design changes and technical challenges to deadlines and legal issues. It’s unfortunate even when it’s understandable, but it’s also entertaining to discover the remnants of cut content. They’re intriguing mysteries when we stumble upon them, fascinating What Ifs when we know their back stories, and sometimes even things that can be restored through modding. Our community has definitely been able to make good use of leftover content in NBA Live and NBA 2K!

Of course, the remnants of cut content can also be annoying. Not only are they proof of what we missed out on, but sometimes they’re a sign of anti-consumer design. A feature that would’ve been useful to have – and indeed was in a previous game – may have been removed because it isn’t conducive to recurrent revenue mechanics being as profitable as they could be. That may not be quite as insidious as removing content in order to sell it as downloadable content, but it’s still lacking in goodwill! Whatever the case, there have been some memorable remnants of missing and removed features in basketball video games over the years. Here are five that spring to mind for me.

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If you’ve been keeping track of his release topic in our NBA 2K14 Modding Forum, you’ll know that Shamgod has been doing some amazing work. To that end, I’d like to spotlight a couple of his releases, starting out with the latest version of his 2026 season NBA on NBC scoreboard for NBA 2K14.

Shamgod has been updating his NBA on NBC scoreboard for NBA 2K14 as more teams have appeared on the network, and their scoreboard logos subsequently revealed. As of V7 of the scoreboard, only the New Orleans Pelicans are using a fictional placeholder. The mod also adds the NBA on NBC logo to the corner of the screen, enhancing the authentic presentation. Download it here!

On the subject of scoreboards, Shamgod has also gone retro with some of his releases. That includes a 2001 Fox Sports Network scoreboard, which can pair nicely with one of the 2001 season roster mods you’ll find elsewhere. You can pick up that FSN scoreboard here.

To check out Shamgod’s other work for NBA 2K14, including ESPN scoreboards, a 2016 season roster, and more, start on page one of his release/workshop topic! You’ll also find previews of what he’s working on, which he also shares in our Discord if you’d like to join us there. Shout out as always to Shamgod for the outstanding work, which he’s making available to everyone free of charge! We love to see dedicated and talented modders helping their fellow gamers to enhance their virtual hardwood experience, while upholding the spirit that our community was built upon.

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 saluting former NBA player Gary Grant, who celebrated his 61st birthday yesterday.

One telltale sign of a long-time hardcore NBA fan is the ability to recall some of the most obscure players from decades ago. Obviously it’s easy to remember the all-time greats that younger fans who weren’t even born yet have still heard of, and many of the other prominent players from yesteryear also stick in our minds. However, when you grow up obsessed with hoops – watching games, playing video games, collecting trading cards, reading magazines – you also remember the journeymen, deep bench reserves, and that one player who had a six-game stint with your favourite team!

That brings me to Gary Grant. Although I remember dozens of players from the 90s, I’m not inclined to profile all of them in Wayback Wednesday. To that end, Grant is definitely a special case! In addition to popping up in games I watched and becoming a very familiar face in packs of trading cards, he’s also been involved in some of my fondest basketball gaming memories. He also stuck around for more than a decade, which is no minor feat. It’s time to give Gary Grant his due on the real and virtual hardwood alike, so let’s take a look back…way back…

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #627 of the NLSC Podcast!

We’re back on the air after an unfortunate technical mishap last week, and we’re ready and eager to take a deep dive into the somewhat overlooked PlayStation version of NBA Live 96! After recapping a couple of our sessions with the game and reflecting on the nostalgic 1996 lineups for the four featured teams, we take an in-depth look at the features and on-court experience, break down the detailed results of a simulated season, and draw comparisons to the 16-bit and PC versions along the way. We also join the community in discussing which version (or versions) of NBA Live 96 we owned and played the most back in the day, and nominate which one we’d currently say is our favourite.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 57:04 — 39.6MB)

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 real agendas have been infiltrating the virtual commentary in basketball video games.

The other day, I saw a social media post praising the positivity of the NBA on Prime crew’s coverage of a Lakers game. It drew comparisons with Inside the NBA, opining that Shaq in particular would’ve been negative in his commentary. It echoes recent remarks from Nick Wright, who at least tried to couch his callout with compliments. Back in November last year, Nikola Jokic wrapped up an interview with the NBA on Prime crew by calling it “much better“; a not-too-subtle jab at the lack of positivity he’s endured from other analysts, including the notoriously petty Shaq.

As much as I have my quibbles with the modern game, I can’t entirely disagree. When I first got into basketball, the NBA and its stars were presented as being part of a great ongoing legacy. That’s how it should be today. The problem is that in recent times, past generations have been disrespected in a way that I couldn’t imagine back in the 90s. Talking heads like Nick Wright have been a big part of that smear campaign – the “plumbers and dentists” rhetoric – so it’s rich to hear him plead for intergenerational peace and respect now. It’s bad enough that agendas like his plague coverage of the real NBA, but these days we have to listen to them in video game commentary too.

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