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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 MyNBA Eras has made it unlikely that we’ll see any new classic teams added to NBA 2K.
Way back in 2016, I posted a Friday Five listing five classic teams that I’d like to see included in future NBA 2K games. I revisited the topic with a second article in 2018, and it ultimately became an ongoing Friday Five series. Some of those squads have since been added to the games. No, I’m not trying to take credit for that! Many of those additions were very popular and obvious choices, so I highly doubt that I had any influence here. Nevertheless, I’ve enjoyed seeing the selection of classic teams expand, and there’s never any harm in throwing out suggestions.
However, the most recent instalment in that series – Part 13 – was back in 2022. There are a few reasons why I haven’t circled back to that topic for just over four years now. For a start, at this point I’ve already covered many of the teams that I’m interested in. Again, some are already included in the games, while others are unlikely to be added. As I’ve discussed before, this generation of NBA 2K games has left me cold, so I’m less enthusiastic about discussing ideas for future releases in general. On top of that though, the addition of MyNBA Eras makes it seem far less likely that we’ll see new standalone classic teams. Of course, it could be argued that that’s actually for the best.
Before I get into that, I should explain why I believe that the presence of MyNBA Eras makes the addition of any more classic teams unlikely. In a way, mere retro squads are an outdated concept when we have a franchise mode that allows us to re-play four decades of NBA history, experiencing all of the historical changes (albeit with varying degrees of accuracy and attention to detail). You could further argue that the inclusion of Eras rosters in Play Now has made adding new classic teams a moot point. Why bother adding the 2003 Washington Wizards with Michael Jordan to the selection of retro squads, when we can just play a game with the Kobe Era rosters?
Furthermore, if there are to be any innovations with the historical content, MyNBA Eras should undoubtedly be the priority. Obviously any new players that are licensed for MyNBA Eras should also be added to the classic teams as necessary, and I’d like to see more accuracy with the historical content in general. I’m not suggesting that the retro teams be completely ignored! However, given the choice between fleshing out the Eras rosters and improving the mode’s authenticity, or adding the 1995 Dallas Mavericks to the array of classic teams, I’m choosing the improvements to MyNBA. Besides, if more starting points are implemented, we could get those teams anyway!
I believe that’s the approach the developers are taking. Mind you, that’s not to say that MyNBA Eras is a top priority! The money-making modes such as MyCAREER and MyTEAM are naturally going to receive more attention, and in all fairness, they’re also more popular nowadays. Beyond that though, we haven’t seen any new classic teams added since NBA 2K21, let alone since the debut of MyNBA Eras in NBA 2K23. In fact, with the late Bill Russell no longer licensed to appear in the game, we’ve actually lost a team in the 1965 Boston Celtics. Of course, we’ve also seen the addition of the Steph Era, as well as more historical players as they’ve been licensed.
In other words, we are getting new historical content that’s readily available; we’re just not getting any new standalone teams. Once again, you could argue that the retro squads are now an antiquated concept, and while it’s worth keeping the ones that are already in the game, it makes far more sense to develop MyNBA Eras. After all, any relevant players that are licensed for the Eras rosters can be added to the classic teams as well, and MyNBA offers far more replay value. There’s also still a ton of untapped potential with MyNBA Eras, from the aforementioned suggestion of adding more starting points, to polishing up the rosters and accuracy of various branding changes.
As I said, given the choice between improving MyNBA Eras and adding some new classic teams – especially if they can’t license some of the key players – I’m picking the former. If the developers have indeed made that choice, I’d say it was the right call. Nevertheless, it’s unfortunate if we’re not going to see any further additions to the selection of classic teams, except when it’s a by-product of updates to MyNBA Eras. I still believe there’s value in having those standalone throwback squads in the game, so I’m glad that Visual Concepts has at least seen fit to retain them. There’s flexibility in those old classic teams that we don’t have with their counterparts in the Eras rosters.
The most obvious is that those retro squads can be used against any other team that’s available in regular Play Now games. In NBA 2K26, you can take the 1996 Chicago Bulls and square off against the 2026 Oklahoma City Thunder, or see how the 1986 Boston Celtics stack up against the 2016 Cleveland Cavaliers. You can also insert those teams into a custom MyNBA, perhaps replacing their modern counterparts or creating a fantasy scenario with a league full of the best teams in history. Because they’re a part of the default rosters, players from the retro squads can also be traded to the current NBA teams, facilitating all of those fantasy lineups and season scenarios.
Conversely, all of the Eras rosters are self-contained. As such, while they can function similarly to traditional classic teams, we can’t stage an exhibition showdown between the 1992 and 2026 New York Knicks. Likewise, we’re unable to mix and match teams from the Kobe Era in with the Steph Era in a custom MyNBA. We can customise the Eras rosters for use in Play Now and MyNBA, but we can’t export any of the players completely intact to other Eras, or add them to the modern rosters. Moreover, every team in an Eras roster is obviously going to be from the same season, so they can’t offer the same variety as the array of classic teams that span the years in between.
Now, this is where someone may feel inclined to chirp up and point out how awesome MyNBA Eras and the classic teams are, that we can’t have absolutely everything that we want, and that we should be grateful for what we have. And so, I’ll pre-emptively match that energy by asking, aren’t you tired of the taste of boot polish by now? To be somewhat less combative, it’s certainly worth acknowledging that NBA 2K does have a huge amount of historical content to enjoy, and it’d be impossible to facilitate every potential use of it. It’s also possible that there’s some tricky licensing here, similar to Charles Barkley appearing on the Dream Team but not the 1985 Philadelphia 76ers.
That’s all well and good, but it’s perfectly fine to wish we had more flexibility with the Eras rosters. Assuming that the reason for keeping Eras rosters separate is technical rather than legal, it’d be awesome if we could export teams for use in a custom roster, or at least have a way of using teams from different Eras in exhibition play. I realise it’s easy for me to throw that idea out there when I’m not the one that has to program the solution, but I believe that gamers who enjoy the historical content would really appreciate it. It’s great to technically have additional classic teams courtesy of a multi-generational franchise mode, but the lack of variety and flexibility is a drawback.
And of course, it seems that the implementation of MyNBA Eras and natural focus on improving its content has put an end to expanding the selection of standalone classic teams. Yes, that’s understandable, but that doesn’t make it any less disappointing for anyone who’d like to see some new retro squads added. At the very least, there are some teams already in the game via MyNBA Eras that would be great to have as part of the classic component of the modern/default rosters. The players and branding from the various Eras could also be used to assemble other notable teams from the same time period, once again assuming there are no legal hurdles preventing that.
Granted, I don’t believe that MyNBA Eras is the only reason that NBA 2K is unlikely to add more standalone classic teams. Over the years, the additions have become far less exciting. While I do see the value and appeal, it feels weird to classify a recent champion as a “classic” team! They were undoubtedly easier to add, since a majority of the players were still active and thus automatically licensed to appear. To that point though, as players on those recent classic teams begin departing the NBA – either due to retiring or simply washing out of the league – those squads ironically end up having much thinner rosters with more noteworthy absences than the ones from decades ago!
Needless to say, it’s still challenging to license the necessary players for older classic teams as well. There are already a couple of long-tenured retro squads in NBA 2K that are missing at least one extremely prominent player, as well as a few others that had conspicuous holes in their lineup before they were ultimately dropped. I’d rather not see any half-baked classic teams added to NBA 2K, particularly when time and resources could be spent improving the historical content that’s already there. Also, many of the absolute must-have classic teams are already included. As cool as it’d be to see more unorthodox squads added, their niche appeal makes them a tough sell.
Also, let’s face it: as long-time basketball gamers like me age out of being the key demographic, our nostalgia is no longer a priority. Clearly there’s still content that appeals to us – and anyone with a fascination with and love for NBA history – but it’s not 2010 anymore. Younger games – i.e. NBA 2K’s core audience – aren’t feeling pangs of nostalgia for the 1993 New Jersey Nets, 1994 Golden State Warriors, 2002 Boston Celtics, 2002 Los Angeles Clippers, and other such squads from yesteryear. Even more recent and successful teams such as the 2009 Los Angeles Lakers are less appealing to younger gamers than live service content in MyTEAM and MyCAREER.
In short, MyNBA Eras alone didn’t put an end to adding new classic teams. It also comes down to cost and feasibility of striking agreements with former players, having a wide selection of popular retro squads already available, and the level of interest and demand from the core demographic. This is also assuming that we’re unlikely to see any more classic teams added, though the fact that we haven’t seen any new additions outside of the MyNBA Eras rosters does make it a fairly safe bet. Not to belabour the point, but considering the potential of MyNBA Eras and some of the polish that’s still sorely needed three years in, it’s the historical content that the devs should prioritise.
With that being said, if the developers are still willing to add new classic teams and the suits are willing to “CTC” to make it happen, I’m absolutely in favour of that! If nothing else, I’d like to see them take a few teams from MyNBA Eras and add them to the selection of classic teams in the default rosters, as well as use those licensed assets to add other iconic squads from around those various time periods; again, assuming there are no restrictions in licensing those players that would bar that. However, I do suspect that adding new classic teams is no longer on the agenda, in part because if any of the throwback content is going to be upgraded, it’s going to be MyNBA Eras.
That’s unfortunate given the potential to add some fun new retro squads, as well as the possibilities that placing them in the default rosters facilitates. It’s just the way it goes, though. NBA 2K has managed to maintain a fairly stable assortment of classic teams for a while now, and that content has ultimately paved the way for something bigger in MyNBA Eras. That’s fantastic, especially since the new concept didn’t result in the complete removal of the older content, as is sometimes the case. Still, it’s a wistful thought that we likely won’t see any new classic teams. Focusing on MyNBA Eras is sensible, but there was still more that could be done with the standalone retro squads.
