NBA Live 19

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 19 with an updated retrospective, in light of the game re-entering my rotation last year.

Last year, after I made a post that mentioned NBA Live 18 on the NLSC’s socials, I received a response asserting that NBA Live 19 was “ten times better”. As someone who never really warmed up to the game, that was certainly an intriguing claim! I was sceptical, but I wasn’t about to stubbornly dismiss it out of hand. After all, a second look at NBA Live 18 made me realise that I enjoyed it even more than I remembered. Furthermore, a dedicated contingent of gamers continued to play NBA Live 19 for many years after its release, suggesting that there was a fun experience on offer.

And so, I decided to give NBA Live 19 another try. Considering that it became my basketball game of choice from August last year right through to its server shutdown back in January, it’s safe to say that I have a far more positive view of it now! There are still aspects that I don’t like, or believe could and should have been better, but at the very least I’ve developed more of an appreciation for it. Is it ten times better than NBA Live 18? Well, I wouldn’t go that far, but it’s a respectable release that should’ve been a stepping stone to an even better game. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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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 coincidences with squads in the series of Legends Challenges in NBA Live 19 Ultimate Team.

As was the case with NBA Live 18, Ultimate Team has been one of my main modes of choice during my NBA Live 19 kick. It’s the only way to play with all the Legends, which appeals to my nostalgic approach to basketball gaming these days. Because I’m getting into NBA Live 19 Ultimate Team so late in the game, I’ll still have plenty of unfinished Challenges when the servers are shut down. With that in mind, I’m picking and choosing the ones that appeal to me the most. Needless to say, that includes the 31-game series of Legends Challenges!

Each game in the series of Legends Challenges places a former great back in uniform, albeit the jersey that their respective teams are sporting during the 2019 season. While they may be playing alongside one or two of their former teammates – or at least other greats who played for that team at some point – the squads are generally comprised of whichever Legends would make for a challenging lineup. For the most part, it doesn’t seem that those out-of-place Legends have been selected for any specific reason. To that end, I noted what I believe are some fun coincidences with the (mis)placement of certain players in the Legends Challenges, from actual history to infamous What Ifs.

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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 there’s now a ticking clock on support for NBA Live 19, and what it means for the future of the series.

When the NBA Live 18 servers were shut down last year, I speculated that it may not be too long before online support for NBA Live 19 ends as well. Although support won’t end in 2025 as I guessed that it might, it’s been confirmed that NBA Live 19’s servers will be shut down on January 30th, 2026. The game has already been removed from digital stores, but physical copies do exist if you want to get your hands on it. Obviously, the offline modes will still be available when online support ends, so as long as you own the game, it will be playable.

Of course, the end of online support is bad news for Ultimate Team; a mode that I’ve been enjoying as of late. Much like my NBA Live 18 kick last year, I’ve unfortunately allowed myself to get hooked on an experience that will soon be unavailable! I’d liken it to getting into a great television show after it’s already a few seasons in, but on the brink of cancellation or otherwise getting ready to wrap up. I’m enjoying myself and I’m grateful that I gave it a proper chance, but I’m also getting on the ride late, so the impending end of the journey feels unfairly abrupt. Beyond that, the ticking clock on NBA Live 19 underscores the current state of the series, as well as its bleak future.

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EA has advised that the NBA Live 19 servers will be shutting down on January 30th, 2026. The game was de-listed from digital storefronts in late October, basically telegraphing that the end of online support was rapidly approaching.

In recent months, gamers have reported problems when trying to play LIVE Events in The One, suggesting that online support has been in the process of wrapping up for a while now. However, Ultimate Team has remained online and fully functional to this day, and I can confirm that a handful of people are still active in the Community Market on PlayStation 4. With that being said, Ultimate Team will definitely be inaccessible once the NBA Live 19 servers are shut down early next year, along with all other online modes. The final roster update will also be unavailable at that time.

With the shutdown of the NBA Live 18 servers last year, it’s no surprise that NBA Live 19 will soon follow suit. EA has been unusually generous in maintaining online support for the eighth gen NBA Live releases, especially compared to the 27 months that Take-Two guarantees for NBA 2K titles. Obviously NBA 2K has been markedly more successful with a majority of gamers moving on every year, but to that end, it’s quite surprising that the less popular NBA Live releases have retained online support for so long. Prior to support ending for NBA Live 18 last year, NBA Live 14 and NBA Live 15 were still online as of 2019, while NBA Live 16’s servers were finally shut down in 2020. As such, the eighth gen NBA Lives have ended up receiving between five and seven years of online support.

However, the time has obviously come for NBA Live 19 to be sunset. For anyone still playing the game – which includes me, thanks to a recent kick – we’ll still have three months to finish up any business with modes featuring online content. The offline modes will naturally still be available, though speaking for myself, it’ll be a shame to lose Ultimate Team. Additionally, if you don’t own the game and want to add it to your collection, at this point you’ll need to track down a physical copy. In any case, if NBA Live 19 is still in your rotation or you’d like to give it another look while it’s still relatively intact, make sure you’re ready to be done with it by January 30th next year!

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 combining past and present by creating some 2026 rosters in NBA Live 19.

Much as I was getting back into NBA Live 18 prior to its server shutdown last year, I’ve been on a bit of an NBA Live 19 kick this year. To that end, you can expect to see it covered in future Wayback Wednesday features, including a new retrospective that reflects my current opinion of the game. It probably isn’t a huge spoiler to reveal that I’m enjoying it far more than I have previously! Indeed, my enjoyment has led to a playthrough of The Streets World Tour, completing a Legends Fantasy Challenge in Ultimate Team, and even customising the game’s rosters.

That brings us to the topic at hand: 2026 rosters, as represented by NBA Live 19! Portraying the present with a game from the past has become an enjoyable staple of my retro basketball gaming. Previously, I revisited NBA Live 10 to see how many players were still active in 2021 and 2024. Creating 2024 lineups in NBA 2K14 led to a couple of games using those makeshift rosters. Earlier this year, I played NBA Live 18 using a minimalist 2025 roster update. And now, with the 2026 season underway, I’m demonstrating how it looks in NBA Live 19! Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Episode #402 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Derek (aka Dee4Three) and I are your hosts for this weekly podcast that’s all about basketball gaming.

NBA Live 19 still has an active online scene, but sadly it displays similar toxicity to NBA 2K’s community. We dissect the issue of poor online sportsmanship, and lack of competitiveness in what is supposedly a competitive environment. While we’re in the mood for callouts, we also respond to some recent comments that were unnecessarily snarky. On a brighter note, our second attempt at a co-op game in NBA Live 06 for Xbox 360 over Parsec has us pumped to dive into a Season. Elsewhere, Take Two’s attitude towards Grand Theft Auto modders has us wondering if we should be worried about our own modding community, especially with 2K understandably cracking down on MyCAREER hackers. In this week’s mailbag, we’re reflecting on games that we wish we could’ve personally modded, or downloaded mods for.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:20:41 — 55.8MB)

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Join in the conversation in the comments below, or here in the Forum! Additionally, feel free to hit us up with any feedback on the episode, as well as mailbag questions and topic suggestions for future shows. For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. The show also comes out on our YouTube channel, so be sure to subscribe for future episodes and other video content.

Episode #360 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Derek (aka Dee4Three) and I are your hosts for this weekly podcast that’s all about basketball gaming.

There continues to be a surge of interest in NBA Live 19, with several gamers picking it up again. This raises the issue of NBA 2K fatigue, and the other reasons – including accessibility, simplicity, and lack of predatory mechanics and toxicity – that gamers are eschewing the more up to date NBA 2K21 Next Gen. We once again note that the door is wide open for NBA Live. In our mailbag this week, we’re talking about purchasing digital NBA moments, and various obstacles that modders face. Are we likely to invest in digital NBA collectibles, and are Visual Concepts deliberately making modding more difficult?

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:34:45 — 65.1MB)

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Join in the conversation in the comments below, or here in the Forum! Additionally, feel free to hit us up with any feedback on the episode, as well as mailbag questions and topic suggestions for future shows. For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. The show also comes out on our YouTube channel, so be sure to subscribe for future episodes and other video content.

To mark the 25th Anniversary of NBA Live, we’re taking a look back at every game in the series with retrospectives and other fun content! This also includes re-running some features from our 20th Anniversary celebrations, with a few revisions. Whether you’re a long-time basketball gamer who grew up with NBA Live and are keen on taking a trip down memory lane, or you’re new to the series and want to learn about its history, we hope that you enjoy celebrating the 25th Anniversary of NBA Live here at the NLSC! At long last, it’s a retrospective of NBA Live 19.

And so, we’ve come to the final game in the NBA Live series to date, and thus the final retrospective in our 25th Anniversary of NBA Live content! I have to say that it’s been a wild ride to experience the ups and downs again, revisiting every title in the series one by one. I hope that you’ve enjoyed it too, even as we’ve revisited some of the weaker games. On that note, unfortunately the most recent NBA Live game isn’t one of the better releases, at least in my book. Those of us who would prefer that NBA Live focus on the NBA experience were hoping against hope that NBA Live 19 would be a return to form, but sadly, it picked up where NBA Live 18 left off.

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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 some final thoughts on NBA Live 19 and NBA 2K19 as we enter the final days leading up to NBA 2K20’s release.

Cue “The Final Countdown” by Europe, as we’re just days away from the release of NBA 2K20! As for NBA Live 20…well, we’re still waiting to find out what’s going to happen with EA Sports’ long-running series. In any event, the impending release of NBA 2K20 means that we’re days away from NBA 2K19 and NBA Live 19 officially becoming last year’s games. That is to say, they’ll no longer be the most up to date sim-oriented NBA titles, and the community’s interest will shift to the game set in the forthcoming 2020 season.

It’s a strange period of limbo in the annual basketball gaming cycle. If you’re done with last year’s games, you’ll be itching to get your hands on the new release. If you still have unfinished business, you’ll likely be furiously playing them to achieve some semblance of closure before moving on to this year’s title. After all, it’s not easy to go back and pick up where you left off when you’re hooked on a new game that will itself be outmoded a year from now. With that in mind, as we find ourselves in the final days before NBA 2K20 officially succeeds NBA 2K19 and NBA Live 19, I’m taking a moment to reflect on the past year of basketball gaming, and to look ahead.

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Episode #292 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Arcane is back on the show this week as we catch up on the latest NBA 2K20 news, and discuss how a focus on career modes this generation has affected the course and quality of basketball gaming.

‘Tis the preview season, which means that there’s a lot of talk about bullshotting as new NBA 2K20 screenshots continue to drop. The soundtrack for this year’s game has also been revealed, not only bringing tracks from the big names, but also providing an opportunity for unsigned artists. However, the biggest news of the week is that the NBA 2K20 Demo will be released on August 21st. We speculate on what the new MyPLAYER builder might entail, what other content we can expect, and how the demo experience will translate to the full release. After noting the lack of NBA content in recent NBA 2K demos, we move on to this week’s featured discussion: has the focus on career modes adversely affected other modes, and the basketball gaming experience in general? As much as we’ve enjoyed MyCAREER this generation, it does feel as though other aspects of the games have been neglected. We consider what this might mean for the genre moving forward, and whether it’s another sign we’re no longer part of the core demographic.

Tune in below!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:53:46 — 78.2MB)

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What are your thoughts on the latest NBA 2K20 news, and the heavy focus on career modes in today’s basketball games? Sound off in the comments section below, or join in the discussion here in the Forum! Additionally, feel free to hit us up with any feedback on the episode, as well as suggestions for topics that you’d like to hear us discuss in future episodes. For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki.

Episode #291 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! It’s another solo show this week so there’s obviously no featured discussion, but between NBA 2K20 news, NBA Live 19 rosters, speculation about NBA Live 20, and updates from the modding community, I have a few thoughts to share.

As expected, the NBA 2K20 ratings reveal wasn’t without controversy. While fans debate their accuracy and the merits of NBA 2K’s approach to ratings, the best response belongs to whoever is running the Denver Nuggets’ Twitter account. In other news, NBA Live 19 received a surprising roster update featuring offseason moves. Despite being a welcome surprise, it does invite worrisome speculation about NBA Live 20, though it doesn’t help to jump the gun. Meanwhile, in our community, there are some modding projects and other upcoming features worth spotlighting. Check them out, and stay tuned!

Tune in below!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 30:50 — 21.2MB)

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What are your thoughts on the latest NBA 2K20 previews, and the speculation surrounding NBA Live 20? Sound off in the comments section below, or join in the discussion here in the Forum! Additionally, feel free to hit us up with any feedback on the episode, as well as suggestions for topics that you’d like to hear us discuss in future episodes. For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki.

A new content update has added offseason moves to the NBA Live 19 rosters. The update doesn’t include any of the new rookies such as top pick Zion Williamson, but it moves Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and DeAndre Jordan to the Nets, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George to the Clippers, Anthony Davis to the Lakers, and so on.

Although it’s unusual for a game to receive further roster updates beyond the Finals, it isn’t unprecedented. This generation, both NBA Live 14 and NBA Live 16 received post-Draft updates that lacked rookies, but accounted for free agency and trades. NBA Live 10 also continued to receive roster updates following the cancellation of NBA Elite 11, and though it might not have been intended, NBA Live 09 was also updated alongside NBA Live 10 during the 2010 season.

While these updates to the NBA Live 19 rosters are a welcome surprise, they’ve also stirred up some worried speculation about NBA Live 20. Although NBA Live 20 has been listed as a future release on a financial report for EA Sports, there has yet to be any official announcement or previews of the game. Combined with the lack of an announcement regarding a new deal with the NBA when NBA 2K renewed its license earlier this year, this offseason roster update has raised questions about the series’ future.

It all remains speculation for now, and as noted, it’s not the first time NBA Live has received a bonus update. At the same time, on two of those occasions there was a subsequent gap in releases, though the 2011 season updates for NBA Live 10 were announced in conjunction with the official cancellation of NBA Elite 11. For my part, I certainly don’t want to irresponsibly and erroneously report on the situation or give legs to a baseless rumour, especially when a financial report has indicated that NBA Live 20 is coming. However, until further announcements and previews allay any concerns, the speculation is understandable.

Until then, we’ll stay on top of the situation as best we can. In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts on the offseason update for the NBA Live 19 rosters in the comments section below, and join in the discussion here in the NLSC Forum!

Episode #290 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! I’m flying solo in this week’s return show, which catches up on the first snippets of this year’s preview season, a couple of recent patches, and one of the craziest offseasons in recent memory (if not all-time).

Forget March Madness; July has tipped off the craziness as far as the NBA and virtual hardwood are concerned! The cover players and pre-order bonuses for NBA 2K20 have been revealed, and there’s some good news as the Early Tip-Off Weekend is no more. A teaser trailer and a few screenshots have also given us a glimpse of the game, and if nothing else, the lighting looks promising. NBA 2K19 has also received a patch that encourages NBA 2K20 pre-orders, along with a couple of minor fixes. Meanwhile, NBA Live 19 has received further tuning for shooting and shot contests, which was great to see following issues with Patch 1.25. Finally, there was a flurry of big names changing jerseys through trades and free agency. It’s going to be a wild year in the real NBA, and on the virtual hardwood!

Tune in below!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:01:57 — 42.6MB)

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What are your thoughts on the latest patches, previews, and offseason movement? Sound off in the comments section below, or join in the discussion here in the Forum! Additionally, feel free to hit us up with any feedback on the episode, as well as suggestions for topics that you’d like to hear us discuss in future episodes. For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki.

Episode #289 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! This week, Kenny and I catch up on the conclusion of the 2019 NBA Finals, talk about basketball gaming during the offseason, and look ahead to this year’s preview season for NBA Live and NBA 2K.

A new NBA champion has been crowned! We reflect on Games 5 and 6 of the NBA Finals, discuss what’s next for the champion Toronto Raptors and injury-riddled Golden State Warriors, and offer up some thoughts on the Draft and free agency. The beginning of the offseason also raises questions about our basketball gaming habits. Are we done with the 2019 season games, or is there life in them yet? We outline some of our plans for both titles. As the preview season for NBA Live 20 and NBA 2K20 looms in the distance, we also discuss our expectations for the games, and how we’d like EA Sports and 2K Sports to handle the previews. Will we ever see another historical challenge mode? What role will the WNBA play in both games? We’ll know come July…or August…or maybe September…

Tune in below!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:28:22 — 60.8MB)

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How do your basketball gaming habits change during the offseason? What are your expectations for this year’s preview season? Sound off in the comments section below, or join in the discussion here in the Forum! Additionally, feel free to hit us up with any feedback on the episode, as well as suggestions for topics that you’d like to hear us discuss in future episodes. For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki.

Episode #288 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! This week, Arcane and I are sharing our thoughts on the big gameplay update in Patch 1.25 for NBA Live 19, and reacting to some other recent NBA Live news.

The show tips off with a few thoughts on the NBA Finals that we knew would be outdated by the time it went live; we apologise for the jinxes! We then turn our attention to the announcement that online support will be ending for NBA Live 14 later this year, noting our surprise at how long the servers have been kept up and running. After that, we dive into Patch 1.25 for NBA Live 19. Despite the best efforts and good intentions of the developers, the tweaks unfortunately haven’t all been for the best. This leads us to once again glance ahead to NBA Live 20, and talk about what must be done for this year’s release to deliver a great game of virtual basketball.

Tune in below!

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:28:12 — 60.6MB)

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What are your thoughts on Patch 1.25 for NBA Live 19 and expectations for NBA Live 20? Sound off in the comments section below, or join in the discussion here in the Forum! Additionally, feel free to hit us up with any feedback on the episode, as well as suggestions for topics that you’d like to hear us discuss in future episodes. For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki.