NBA 2K League

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #536 of the NLSC Podcast!

The NBA 2K League has been put on hiatus until 2025, an announcement that came as a surprise to both league players and everyone else involved. This week, we join the community in discussing how and why the NBA 2K League failed to meet some incredibly lofty expectations, despite the backing of the NBA. We also recap a game of NBA Live 10 in which we took on Argentina with Team USA, as well as an NBA 2K10 session in which we ran back a showdown between the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz using the fantastic 1997 season mod. There’s also some fun trivia to share, along with a PSA to grab the digital version of NCAA Basketball 09: March Madness Edition from the Xbox Live Marketplace while you still can.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 50:42 — 35.2MB)

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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!

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #510 of the NLSC Podcast!

Are the NBA 2K League competitors actually the best NBA 2K gamers in the world? Both we and the community have some thoughts on that, as well as a ridiculous comparison to real NBA players. Meanwhile, a session with Street Hoops by Black Ops Entertainment has revealed it to be a hidden gem, as we had an absolute blast with it! We also discuss the importance of the unwritten rules of sportsmanship in basketball, and thanks to the NBA Live 2001 Legends, reflect on the real and virtual accomplishments of Keith Van Horn. Finally, since we shared our basketball gaming resolutions last week, this week we open up the mailbag to find out what the community has planned for 2024.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:16:01 — 52.6MB)

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! Start your week here at the NLSC with a feature that’s dedicated to opinions, commentary, and other fun stuff related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games. This week, I’m tipping things off with a few thoughts on the early weeks of the NBA 2K League, and some of the harsh realities that the venture is facing.

To say that the NBA 2K League has received an overwhelmingly cold reception is an understatement. Sure, there are people streaming the games, catching the highlight reels, and generally enjoying the League. However, a lot of people have had some harsh words for it, too. Posts about the League on the official NBA 2K social media accounts are often derisive and insulting. Similarly, when the NBA’s official accounts post about the League, the responses are often downright hostile. Although there is support for the NBA 2K League, the detractors are much, much louder.

Furthermore, while the NBA 2K League has found an audience, it’s not a particularly big one given the overall strength of the NBA 2K brand. Pastapadre has been keeping tabs on the viewership numbers, which have sunk as low as 2000 viewers on a night when there were no real NBA games to compete with. Although it’s still early days, and 2K likely anticipated some teething problems in the inaugural season, there are plenty of discouraging signs moving forward. The harsh reality of the situation is that no matter how successful NBA 2K may be, the NBA 2K League may simply have too many things stacked against it to succeed.

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PlayStation 4 and Xbox One users may have noticed a new patch come through for NBA 2K18. As per this Tweet from the official NBA 2K League Twitter account, the update provides optimisation for the League Combine, which is currently getting underway.

Unfortunately, there are no other fixes or enhancements for the base game included in the latest patch. It would seem that 2K’s sole focus right now is on launching the NBA 2K League; understandable given the magnitude of the venture, but also frustrating for a majority of the user base. It remains to be seen whether any more patches of substance and relevance will come through.

As always, feel free to share any thoughts in the comments below, as well as in this topic in the Forum. You can also find a complete update history for NBA 2K18 here in our Wiki.

The NBA 2K League, an eLeague based on 2K Pro-Am and officially partnered with the NBA, is set to tip off next year. As such, 2K Sports has put out advanced notice about the qualifying round, which will be taking place January 1st-31st. Brian Mazique has also posted some additional information about the League over on Forbes.com.

Participants must be eighteen years or older, and playing NBA 2K18 on either PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. The qualifying round is open to all skill levels, though you must win 50 games during January in order to be eligible for tryouts. The 50 wins may come as part of a 2K Pro-Am team, Walk-On games, or a combination of the two.

Should you make it through the qualifying rounds and be successful in a tryout, you’ll be drafted by one of the 17 NBA teams participating in the inaugural season of the NBA 2K League. Housing and a “competitive, guaranteed salary” will be provided to League players, who will not play with their regular MyPLAYERs, but rather avatars with ratings close to 90 Overall. The NBA 2K League will also make use of a special build of NBA 2K18 in order to avoid instability.

It will be interesting to see how successful the NBA 2K League turns out to be. As it stands, I’m not sure how closely we’ll be covering the League here on the NLSC once it tips off, but it’s certainly a great opportunity for competitive online basketball gamers. Additional registration and application details are set to be announced at a later date, so if you’re interested, be sure to follow the official NBA 2K League Twitter account, and stay tuned for more information.

Got any thoughts on the forthcoming NBA 2K League? Have your say in the comments section below, and feel free to join in the discussion taking place here in our NBA 2K18 Forum.