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)
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!
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.
Happy New Year, basketball gamers! As we noted in Episode #612 of the NLSC Podcast, we’re tipping off this year with another special edition of the NLSC Top 10 Plays. The show will be returning to its regular “timeslot” next week, but I’m sure you’ll agree that this week’s countdown is the best way to get 2026 started with a bang! Whether you enjoy poster dunks, crazy alley-oop finishes, buzzer beaters, or wild shots, we’ve got you covered with a selection of spectacular highlights that superbly sets the tone for another year of Top 10s. 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.
From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #612 of the NLSC Podcast!
Another year is almost in the books! And so, as 2025 draws to a close, this week we’re joining the community in discussing the basketball and basketball gaming gifts that we gave and received during this holiday season. From shoes, shirts, and collectibles, to video games, DVDs, and new basketballs, it’s clear that we’re all still as passionate as ever about real hoops and the virtual hardwood alike. We also discuss the temptation to pick up a new ball whenever we see one on sale, the brilliance of the Ultimate Jordan DVD boxset, the price of collecting retro games, and ending up getting ourselves gifts while shopping for someone else.
Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 38:07 — 26.5MB)
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 getting into modes late.
As I noted at the beginning of November, there’s a ticking clock on NBA Live 19. With 2025 almost over, we’re getting inching closer and closer to time running out on the final NBA Live release to date. Once the servers are shut down at the end of January, it’ll be a wrap on all modes that require online connectivity. As it is, some of those modes are already inaccessible, or their matchmaking functionality has been disabled. NBA Live 19 Ultimate Team is still playable as of writing – at least on PlayStation 4 – but has lengthy load times as EA Sports gets ready to pull the plug.
For many basketball gamers, the impending shutdown of NBA Live 19’s servers and the lethargic menus in Ultimate Team won’t be a concern. Indeed, it may be a surprise that the game still has online support, limited and declining as it is. It’s something that I’m well aware of though, as I’ve been playing NBA Live 19 quite regularly in recent months, with a keen interest in Ultimate Team after completing The Streets World Tour. Needless to say, I won’t be able to complete everything in the mode before it’s gone forever. That likely would’ve been the case even if I had been playing LUT 19 since launch, but it’s another example of me being late to the party with game modes.
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 basketball video game boxes that I personally think are awesome.
For those of us in countries that celebrate the holiday, December 26th is Boxing Day. The day isn’t about the sport of boxing – as Maxwell Q. Klinger humorously thought in an episode of M*A*S*H – but rather was originally about donating gifts to those in need. These days, it’s more of an extension of Christmas celebrations, though here in Australia it also means Test cricket, a yacht race, and sales similar to Black Friday in the United States. With all of that being said, what kind of basketball gaming-related topic would be relevant for me to discuss today?
Why, basketball video game boxes, of course! Alright, that’s a little cheesy, but cool video game boxes from the heyday of physical media can be as nostalgic as the games that they contained. Moreover, countless video game boxes – basketball or otherwise – have been opened on Christmas Day, or during Boxing Day gift exchanges. Please note that I’m not just talking about covers here. That’s certainly a part of what makes basketball video game boxes awesome, but there’s also the other box art including the previews on the back, as well as other fun design elements. I’m not saying these are necessarily the best basketball video game boxes, but they are some of my favourites.
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 on a Thursday? That’s right! Since this week’s countdown is also this year’s Christmas episode, we’re shifting things around on the schedule as we did for our Halloween special back in October. We’ll be back to the usual Saturday “timeslot” for the first Top 10 of 2026, but in the meantime, we’re celebrating the festive season with poster dunks, crazy alley-oops, and wild shots. Even Santa himself makes an appearance as six different games gift us an array of virtual hardwood highlights, setting the mood for some holiday hooping. 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.
From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #611 of the NLSC Podcast!
What Ifs are always an intriguing topic in basketball discussions, especially when they involve comebacks that could’ve been, and comebacks that could potentially still occur. To that end, this week we’re reflecting on a handful of historical comeback rumours, as well as returns that were reportedly very close to happening. Either way, they’re What Ifs that we would’ve loved to have seen come to fruition! We also discuss whether there are any recently-retired players that could feasibly still have an impact if they were to make a return to the NBA today, and a novel comeback scenario involving a player who’s been out of the league for over a decade after retiring young.
Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 56:48 — 39.4MB)
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 how after all these years, way too many people don’t know that EA Sports’ famous slogan is “It’s in the game”.
It’s Christmastime once again – aka the “silly season” – so it’s time for some merry, light-hearted fun in this week’s features! To that end, I’m combining my Monday Tip-Off “brand” with JaoSming’s old feature, Dumb Mondays. I did this last Christmas, in order to make a tongue-in-cheek comparison between the movies of John Hughes and the rise of the Chicago Bulls. It was a fun, silly “theory” that came to mind years ago. I ended up sitting on the rough draft of an article outlining the “connections” for a long time, before finally polishing it up and publishing it last Christmas.
Since the time has come for some more silliness, let’s talk about something that I find extremely silly: the sheer number of people who don’t know that EA Sports’ slogan is “It’s in the game”! More specifically, they believe that the slogan is something else that may sound kind of similar to that. Furthermore, they insist that they’re absolutely correct in thinking that EA Sports’ slogan is anything but “It’s in the game”. Now, this may not seem like something to get too riled up about, especially given the spirit of the season. With that in mind, I’m definitely not trying to be a Grinch here. This is all in good fun, and revelling in some silliness. At the same time though…come on, now!
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.
Poster dunks and buzzer beaters are on the menu in this week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays, and we’re confident that what the community has served up will be to everyone’s satisfaction! There are also some fun scenarios on display thanks to modding and in-game customisation alike, from retro and Olympic rosters to fantasy franchise teams and Ultimate Team squads. Six different basketball video games are featured this week, from NBA Hangtime right through to NBA 2K26. Ready to get hyped for another weekend of basketball gaming? 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 another list of potential comebacks that would’ve been fun to play with in video games.
Seeing as how this is the fifth Friday Five article looking at comebacks that would’ve been fun to play with in video games, I’ve already covered some of the most notable examples. From prominent players whose attempts to make it back to the league came up short, to Legends who were close to donning another uniform before opting to stay retired, to vague interest that ultimately didn’t amount to anything, there have been some fascinating stories of comebacks that could’ve been fun to see in real life, and a blast to play with on the virtual hardwood as well.
For Part 5, I’m doing something a little different. These are still comebacks that were at the very least rumoured or hinted at – I’m not just making up fictional examples – and they’d make for fun scenarios in video games. However, they’re not as serious as the previous stories. When it comes to these potential comebacks, it’s more a case of them being fanciful thoughts by the players in question, or there’s not much evidence that a return was ever truly close to being a reality. Indeed, in one case, it’s extremely clear that it wasn’t actually happening! Nevertheless, it’s still entertaining to look back and wonder What If, and perhaps even customise rosters to set up these scenarios.
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.
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.
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…
NLSC Your source for basketball video games.
