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 8 in an ongoing series looking at players that only appeared on certain teams in video games.

Just when I thought I’d finished this series with Part 7 last year, I was presented with a bunch of names making it clear that some further articles were in order! Shout out to David L for his memory and research on the topic, as he provided a vast majority of the examples that I’ll be discussing in the articles to come. There are some significant names and other well-known players that I overlooked in the previous instalments, and once they were pointed out, I knew I’d have to follow up on them. Other players aren’t as famous, but hardcore basketball fans and gamers will no doubt recall them.

As I’ve said before, players end up only appearing on certain teams in games for very familiar reasons. Before official updates were common, the default rosters remained a snapshot of some point during the offseason. If a player ended up being cut or traded after the roster cut-off date, the game would preserve a stint that never came to be in real life. Similarly, a player might have remained on a team’s roster beyond the game’s launch, but still didn’t ever play for them before they parted ways. And of course, official roster updates also sometimes reflect these stints. Whatever the case may be, they’ve left us with some interesting NBA and roster trivia in a variety of games.

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Today’s mod releases for NBA 2K23 include a demo roster from Shuajota featuring EuroLeague teams, and a City jersey update pack from Pinoy21. Download them both at the links below!

Shuajota
PBasket 2K23 Roster Demo

Pinoy21
NBA 2K23 City Jersey Pack 1

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 the MyCAREER story in NBA 2K20, titled “When The Lights Are Brightest”.

Following NBA 2K18’s ridiculous MyCAREER tale starring a prospect who quit basketball to be a DJ, finally makes it to the NBA following a streetball tournament, and is flanked by his annoying best friend/roommate B-Fresh, NBA 2K19 featured a much better written story. “The Way Back” not only boasted impressive production values from a cinematic standpoint, but also attempted to spice up the journey with mini-games and other interactive elements. It wasn’t perfect, but it stood out as one of the better MyCAREER stories, and a tough act to follow.

To that end, Visual Concepts collaborated with Maverick Carter and LeBron James on the story for NBA 2K20’s MyCAREER, “When The Lights Are Brightest”. Indeed, Carter, LeBron, and their production company, Springhill Entertainment, are credited on the cover as executive producers for MyCAREER. The story has been shelved for good following the shutdown of the NBA 2K20 servers, since MyCAREER is no longer playable. With that being said, what was the story, was it any good, and are we missing out since we’re now unable to revisit it? Let’s take a look back…way back…

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As Dee and I noted in Episode #461 of the NLSC Podcast, with NBA 2K24 already in production, Wishlist season is upon us! Obviously there are many places that compile and submit feedback these days, but Wishlists have a long tradition here at the NLSC, so we’re putting together one for this year’s game.

You can find our NBA 2K24 Wishlist topic here in the NLSC Forum. Although there’s no strict format, in previous years our contacts at 2K have suggested sharing our top 15-20 suggestions across the board, or perhaps our top ten ideas in different categories (gameplay, modes, options, etc). From there, I’ll compile a list that covers a cross-section of the community’s most popular wishes.

While it’s important to provide detail (i.e. don’t just say “make gameplay better”; explain how), please avoid long-winded paragraphs that bury the actual feedback amidst rants and anecdotes. It’s vital to get to the point quickly, clearly, and precisely. Remember, it’s not about sugar-coating or sucking up, but rather being civil and constructive. Think about feedback in our modding community: useful suggestions phrased politely are helpful, while snarky and rude comments tend to be tuned out.

Finally, our NBA 2K24 Wishlist will cover both versions of the game. Naturally we’ll be advocating for the PC version and modding, so by all means give feedback along those lines! As always, there’s no guarantee that all of our wishes will be granted, but speaking up gives them a much better chance than if we stay silent. Please get involved, as we’re looking to submit the Wishlist to the development team ASAP. That way, we stand a better chance of seeing our feedback put to use in NBA 2K24.

Although Terry Hanson is undoubtedly a Virtual Hardwood Legend and one of my all-time favourite teammates, he isn’t the only player of interest in my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER. Other teams have noteworthy generated players too, such as the one I’m profiling today: the Washington Wizards’ Elden Jennings.

Despite standing only 5’9″, this former Nebraska Cornhusker is a force to be reckoned with. He may not get a ton of minutes behind All-Star point guard John Wall, but he undoubtedly makes the most of his limited court time! As you’ll see, Jennings is absolutely fearless when he gets into the lane, despite his small stature. Given his production Per 36, he may well become the best player under six feet in NBA history – at least on the virtual hardwood – if he ever gets a sustained opportunity for more minutes.

Stay tuned for more NBA 2K14 MyCAREER Stories! As for my story topic in the NLSC Forum, hopefully Elden Jennings will become a recurring character as a worthy opponent, no matter where his career takes him. Shout out to Dee once again for smoothing out and remastering some old clips that were captured at 30 FPS, for use in this feature. For more great basketball gaming videos from Dee and myself, from the weekly NLSC Top 10 Plays to the NBA 2K14 Retro Series, be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel!

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 breakdown of the nicknames that I’ve given to generated players in my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER.

As I’ve previously discussed, I greatly enjoy generated rookies in franchise and career modes. Obviously it’s vital that we have the option of inserting real Draft Classes into our game if we so choose, but fictional prospects have always been more appealing to me. That may sound strange given that I prefer to play with real rosters, but I enjoy how generated rookies encourage us to use our imagination as a fictional NBA takes shape. Even if I could use custom Draft Classes with real prospects in NBA 2K14 MyCAREER, I’d have to pass on that, as it would mean no Terry Hanson!

Although Terry Hanson is my favourite generated player – naturally, since he’s my teammate on the Philadelphia 76ers – there are some other fictional players who are adding personality to the league. Some of them are already shaping up to be star players, which makes the matchups fresh and interesting five years in. There are also some fun name combinations, and unique generated appearances. This has led me to give nicknames to some of those fictional players in my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER as I’ve encountered them in gameplay, or in the roster listings. It’s a fun exercise that’s added to the immersion, and set some of them up to be Virtual Hardwood Legends.

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As Dee and I noted in Episode #461 of the NLSC Podcast, we’re back on our Road Trip in NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, producing highlights along the way. In our most recent session, we finished up with the New Jersey Nets’ Bronze challenge, using two of our favourite players: Julius Erving and Darryl Dawkins.

When the game was done, Dee whipped up a highlight reel of our best plays, and uploaded it to the NLSC YouTube channel. Although we weren’t successful in breaking the backboard with Dawkins on this occasion, we were still able to use the Philadelphia 76ers legends to put on a show! With two such prolific and spectacular dunkers, there wasn’t much call to bomb away from downtown; though, as you’ll see, Dr. J did dial long distance in impressive fashion. NBA Jam: On Fire Edition remains a blast to this day, as I’m sure these highlights will demonstrate.

Once again, I invite everyone to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel, where you’ll find many more highlight reels, and other original basketball gaming content. It’s an effort that Dee has been spearheading over the past couple of years, and I can promise that the fun will continue in 2023!

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #461 of the NLSC Podcast!

Wishlist season is upon us once again, so we’re talking about the gameplay improvements that both we and the community want to see in NBA 2K24. It would appear that many of us are on the same page as far as what we want to see this year! Meanwhile, a Parsec session saw us resume our Road Trip in NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, and have some fun with Hoops for NES. A recent YouTube comment regarding NBA Live 99 also inspires us to discuss the importance of context when evaluating graphics in classic basketball video games. In this week’s mailbag, we’re quizzing the community on the top three-point shooters in NBA Live 06.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:17:51 — 53.8MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | Stitcher

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!

Today’s NBA 2K14 mod releases feature a new upload from Pep, namely a classic jersey update for the Detroit Pistons. Download it at the link below!

Pep
1981-1995 Detroit Pistons Uniforms

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 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.

An array of different games, a variety of signature styles, and some truly devastating dunks, combine to make this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays another unmissable watch! From Michael Jordan ball fakes to Magic Johnson’s patented baby hooks, the latest countdown features some virtual hardwood highlights that are extremely reminiscent of the real thing. The NBA Live 2001 Legends are also in action, along with some of our other regular contributors. As I’m sure you’re aware by now, it’s the perfect way to start a weekend of basketball gaming, so 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.

A new version of the current roster update by zumoto is available in today’s NBA Live 2003 mod releases, and can be picked up at the link below. zumoto has also provided a video tutorial on how to install the roster, which you can watch here over on YouTube.

zumoto
2022 Roster (Updated to v2.0)

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.

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 lists five features that didn’t originate in NBA Live or NBA 2K.

From the mid 90s through to today, NBA Live and NBA 2K are the two biggest names as far as sim basketball games are concerned. Obviously NBA Jam and NBA Street were the top dogs in the arcade space, and there have been other series of sim titles that have produced quality releases. However, when we’re talking about the brand leader in NBA licensed sim titles, it’s been NBA Live and NBA 2K for more than a quarter of a century, with the latter taking the crown from the former during the 2000s. Of course, it hasn’t been a competition for quite some time.

Nevertheless, being the two biggest names/brand leaders in sim basketball games has meant that many of the innovations in the genre did originate with either NBA Live or NBA 2K. To that end, they’ve ended up borrowing ideas from each other, which as I’ve long maintained is actually a good thing when it comes to features that should be staples of a sim game. Of course, there are also some great features that we take for granted that didn’t originate in NBA Live or NBA 2K. Some of them are older than we think, appearing in one of their predecessors, while other times it was one of their contemporaries that beat them to the punch. Either way, another game did it first.

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Today’s NBA 2K23 mod releases include the latest version of the NBA2K_Hook, as well as a new plugin for the tool that will make players raise their heads properly while shooting. Pick them up at the links below, and as always, a big thanks to Looyh for the work he does for our modding community!

Looyh
[Hook_Plugin] Raising The Head While Shooting
NBA2K_Hook For 2K23 (Updated to V0.0.19)

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 revisiting NBA Live 2001, and sharing some further opinions on a game that I’ve previously profiled.

Thanks to my efforts in amassing a large collection of basketball video games, I have a plethora of classic (and not-so-classic) titles that I’m yet to cover here in Wayback Wednesday. One of my goals for 2023 is to finally get around to games that have been on the To Do List for years, including the NBA Street series. However, there are titles that I’ve changed my mind about upon revisiting them with fresh eyes. When I’ve experienced a significant change of heart, it only feels appropriate that I follow up with an updated retrospective.

As I’ve previously discussed, I’ve developed a greater appreciation for games such as NBA Live 06 for Xbox 360, NBA Live 10, and NBA 2K14 for PlayStation 4/Xbox One. Last year, I reflected on how my stance on NBA Live 2003 had softened. While I don’t completely disagree with my prior criticisms, I can now find more enjoyment in it as a retro gaming experience. I can say the same for NBA Live 2001 PC, which I ended up revisiting while feeling nostalgic ahead of my twenty year high school reunion. Similar to NBA Live 2003, it’s a game I’ve had mixed opinions about over the years. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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You may recall that last July, I posted a video about a generated rookie in my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER, Sergei Kursov. In that pilot for a series of videos recounting stories from my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER, I discussed how Sergei’s Clippers tattoo clashes with his status as a player for the Celtics. I’m now picking up the series again with a profile of Terry Hanson.

If you’ve been reading my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER recaps or story topic in the Forum, or regularly listen to the NLSC Podcast, you’ll know that Terry Hanson has quickly become one of my all-time favourite teammates. A fictional swingman who was an absolute steal at the 30th pick in 2015, I’ve made it my mission to turn Hanson into a star. As you’ll see in this profile, he’s an exciting player to play alongside, and already worthy of the title of Virtual Hardwood Legend.

Stay tuned for more NBA 2K14 MyCAREER Stories, and Hanson highlights once he’s healthy again! Shout out to Dee for smoothing out and remastering some old clips that were captured at 30 FPS, for use in this feature. For more great basketball gaming videos from Dee and myself, from the weekly NLSC Top 10 Plays to the NBA 2K14 Retro Series, be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel!