NLSC Your source for basketball video games.

2K Day is upon us once again, as NBA 2K23 has been released worldwide! With Season 1 in MyCAREER and MyTEAM already underway, 2K has posted a blog with an overview of what to expect.

Now that the PC version of NBA 2K23 has been released, another year of modding has also tipped off. Indeed, looyh has already shared an updated version of NBA 2K_Hook, an essential utility for using mods. As always, I’d like to remind our community about our various modding facilities. We provide free mod hosting to the community via our Downloads database, and you’ll find newly-added sections for NBA 2K23 here. There’s also a Modding section among our NBA 2K23 forums. This board is for all releases, previews, and any other topics related to NBA 2K23 mods. There’s also a section for Tutorials & FAQs, which should be filling up with resources very soon.

Obviously, modding is a huge part of what we do here at the NLSC. However, I encourage everyone to make use of the general discussion board for NBA 2K23 as well. Whether it’s sharing fun moments, offering up your impressions, asking for advice related to gameplay, or anything else about NBA 2K23, by all means join in the conversation!

Dee and I will be sharing our impressions of NBA 2K23 on the next NLSC Podcast, and it’s also my intention to write a full review this year. In addition to covering further news and events, and of course supporting the modding community, we’ll be looking to produce original content based on NBA 2K23. To that end, if you have any suggestions as far as content you’d like to see, please let us know. As always, thank you for joining us here at the NLSC, and here’s hoping that a fun year of basketball gaming awaits us with NBA 2K23!

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 7 in an ongoing series listing players that appeared in more video games than actual NBA games.

As I’ve said in so many articles that have examined roster-related trivia, I love how basketball video games serve as interactive almanacs, but it’s important to note that they’re not infallible. If nothing else, they’re lacking in context and additional details, such as whether or not a player actually ever played in the NBA. Needless to say, if they’re in a licensed NBA video game, they were signed to an NBA contract at some point. However, their careers on the virtual hardwood ended up lasting much longer, no doubt featuring debuts and tenures that never eventuated in real life.

Even though these players may not be familiar, there are some interesting stories here. There’s a player that was the first to carve out a specific path to the NBA, though his journey obviously came to an end before actually setting foot on the court. A couple of others have followed a calling in their post-basketball careers that you might not expect of athletes who once chased the dream of playing pro ball. And of course, their stories are intertwined with some video game trivia, with a title other than NBA Live or NBA 2K making the list in this instalment. Enough of the teasers: let’s get to yet another five players with more appearances in video games than the actual NBA!

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The release of NBA 2K23 is imminent, but before it officially launches, the latest developer blog has given us all a preview of The City. Once again, The City will be the hub world for MyCAREER in the Next Gen version of NBA 2K23, whereas Current Gen has the GOAT Boat.

Key improvements this year include reducing the size of The City and adding fast travel options to make it easier to traverse. There are also new designs for the stomping grounds of the four affiliations, a central area for the competitive modes, and an arena for NBA games.

Once again, I’ve summarised the blog below, but be sure to read it for the full scoop and preview screenshots. You can also check out the trailer that was released. Got any thoughts? Feel free to share them in the comments below, as well as join in the discussion here in the NLSC Forum! With the game almost in our hands, our post-release coverage will be tipping off very soon. As such, we invite you to stick around for everything we do here, from discussion of the game to our modding community!

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Looking for something different to play? Today’s NBA 2K14 mod releases feature the EYBL 2K22 roster by nick15. Check it out at the link below, and pick up the art update pack here in the Forum!

nick15
EYBL 2K22

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 reflecting on ten years of embracing NBA 2K, after growing up playing NBA Live.

Just in case there’s any confusion, no, this isn’t a tenth anniversary for NBA 2K. As the special edition of NBA 2K19 reminds us, the series is already twice as old as that! However, 2022 marks ten years that I’ve personally been embracing NBA 2K as a key part of my basketball gaming experience. If you’ve grown up with NBA 2K and never played NBA Live when it was the brand leader, this undoubtedly sounds strange. Why would I need to warm up to NBA 2K, and come around on embracing it? As a keen basketball gamer, shouldn’t I want to play the game that’s been on top for years?

Of course, but for an older gamer like me who grew up with NBA Live, embracing NBA 2K and its approach to sim basketball took some time. There was bias and a comfort zone to push past, not to mention availability and preferred platform. While I have my criticisms – and it’s important that we do constructively criticise any game we play, basketball or otherwise – I have grown to truly appreciate and enjoy the NBA 2K series. It’s been ten years since I’ve fully committed to embracing NBA 2K, so it feels as though some reflections are in order. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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Today’s NBA 2K22 mod releases feature an assortment of face updates, including a few fictional ones. Download them all at the links below!

ymikeylol
Fictional Cyberface 20005

Shuajota
Jeff Dowtin Face

TGsoGood
Fictional Female CFID 30037
Fictional Female CFID 30003

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.

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 recap of Year 4 in my MyCAREER in the PlayStation 4 version of NBA 2K14.

Can you believe that I’ve played through four full seasons of MyCAREER within the past twelve months or so? It’s true! This is what happens when you’re not forcing yourself to grind to level up a player as quickly as possible in the latest game, all the while knowing that your progress will be reset to zero in a year’s time. Given my lack of enthusiasm for either version of NBA 2K21 and NBA 2K22, I’ve greatly enjoyed NBA 2K14 PS4 providing me with a basketball gaming experience that’s been so engaging. It’s unquestionably picked up the slack.

With NBA 2K23 looming and its previews inspiring some cautious optimism, I did want to wrap up Year 4 in NBA 2K14 MyCAREER before the release of this year’s game. I have no doubt that I’ll pick it up again to play through Year 5 – I still have one more Hall of Fame Milestone to achieve for 100% completion in that regard – but I do want to spend time with NBA 2K23 and give it a fair chance to impress. Even with the deadline of NBA 2K23’s release however, I still took the time to enjoy the journey in Year 4 of my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER. As I prepare to take a break from NBA 2K14 in the near future, here’s a look back at how the 2017 campaign went down.

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #442 of the NLSC Podcast!

It’s the final countdown to NBA 2K23! Snippets of news are coming through on a daily basis leading up to the release, though the details aren’t always substantial. We’ve got thoughts to share on the MyCAREER trailer, GOAT Boat developer blog, J. Cole cover, guest announcers, and soundtrack reveal (such as it was). We also reflect on an incredible steal of a retro collecting pickup, and respond to a Tweet that perfectly demonstrates Next Gen snobbery. In this week’s mailbag, our listeners tell us about the role players and benchwarmers that became Virtual Hardwood Legends for them, and we share a few more examples of our own unlikely stars throughout many years of basketball gaming.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:12:19 — 50.0MB)

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’ve got some new mod releases for NBA Live 2003 today, as Tichmall has returned with an assortment of jersey updates. Download them all at the links below!

Tichmall
1996/1997 Detroit Pistons Away Jersey
2021/2022 Houston Rockets City Edition Jersey
1994/1995 Sacramento Kings Alternate Jersey
2005/2006 Boston Celtics Alternate Jersey
2003/2004 Cleveland Cavaliers Away Jersey
1990/1991 Indiana Pacers Away Jersey
1991/1992 Philadelphia Sixers Away Jersey

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.

This week’s NLSC Top 10 Plays features some wild shots, including a halftime buzzer beater in NBA Live 2004, and a really long bomb in NBA Live 97 (though sadly, not by Christian Laettner). NBA Live 19 produced a couple of nifty plays ending in emphatic dunks, as did NBA 2K22, including a clip where Donovan Mitchell has already made his Cleveland Cavaliers debut. As always, it’s great to see the community having fun with a variety of titles. Check out the countdown, and get in the mood to hit the virtual hardwood this weekend!

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.

Following on from the MyCAREER trailer, the latest developer blog provides our first look at The Neighborhood in the Current Gen version of NBA 2K23. Once again, this year’s open world in the PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch version of the game will have a nautical setting, as the GOAT Boat replaces the Cancha Del Mar.

The layout of this year’s virtual luxury liner has been revamped, and more courts have been added. There are also no-wait gameplay options, new Seasonal excursions, and an updated quest system with NPCs in The Neighborhood.

As always, I’ve summarised the key information below, but check out the GOAT Boat blog for the full scoop on The Neighborhood in NBA 2K23 Current Gen. What are your thoughts? Share them in the comments below, and join in the discussion here in the NBA 2K23 section of the NLSC Forum!

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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 Part 5 in an ongoing series where I look at players who only appeared on certain teams in video games.

As much as I enjoy talking about the gameplay experience and all the ins and outs of modes in basketball video games, I also love player-related trivia. Forgive me for dusting off a phrase that I probably use way too much, but old sim games do act as interactive almanacs. Just as re-watching old games and highlights can trigger our memories of unusual and forgotten stints, so too can browsing the rosters in video games from many years ago. It’s one of the fun parts of retro basketball gaming for me, and it can lead down a rabbit hole of researching old lineups and transactions.

I have several features where I reflect on unusual and noteworthy stints for players, be they stars, journeyman role players, or benchwarmers. It’s fun to look back at familiar faces in strange and familiar places through the lens of basketball video games, as well as other oddities such as returns to teams that were over before they began. As evident from this article being a Part 5, I’ve also been reflecting on several players who only ever saw court time for a specific team on the virtual hardwood. This has usually been due to injuries, or the timing of transactions related to the release of video games and their roster updates. Either way, they’re interesting to look back on!

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In addition to dropping the MyCAREER trailer and announcing the Dreamer Edition cover featuring J. Cole, 2K has also released details on the NBA 2K23 soundtrack. However, this year’s soundtrack reveal is a little different compared to previous games.

Notably, we don’t actually have a full tracklist as yet! 2K has simply revealed that there will be 50+ artists featured in the game at launch, including Drake, Joey Bad***, Mike Dimes, Snow Tha Product, Lil Baby, Jack Harlow, Megan Thee Stallion, and Jackson Wang, just to name a few. Additionally, three new songs will be added to the NBA 2K23 soundtrack every Friday, expanding it throughout the year.

You can follow and listen to the soundtrack here on Spotify. As of writing, there are no tracks on the playlist, but presumably it will start filling up soon. New tracks will also be added as they appear in NBA 2K23 after launch. Please see below for a list of artists that have been confirmed so far.

What are your thoughts on the artists that have been revealed, and the concept of a consistently updated soundtrack? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below, as well as join in the discussion here in the NBA 2K23 section of the NLSC Forum!

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Next up in the final rush of NBA 2K23 news is this year’s MyCAREER trailer! According to the trailer, the MyPLAYER character will once again be named “MP”, with this year’s story beginning after the 2022 NBA Draft. From there, the tale will revolve around MP’s off-court brand and projects, and trying to balance them with making it in the NBA.

Additionally, 2K has revealed another NBA 2K23 cover, featuring rapper J. Cole as the face of the “Dreamer Edition”. This cover, much like the WNBA cover featuring Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, will be exclusive to GameStop in the United States and Canada.

J. Cole will also be a character in the NBA 2K23 MyCAREER story, as revealed by the trailer. As usual, current and former NBA players have voiced cameos, and it appears that Kendrick Perkins will once again appear in a somewhat antagonistic role. Fellow player turned analyst J.J. Redick also joins Perkins in commenting on MP’s journey.

Check out the trailer below, along with the Dreamer Edition cover art. What are your thoughts on the latest news? Sound off in the comments, and join in the discussion here in the NLSC Forum!

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2K has revealed that NBA 2K23 will feature three special guest announcers: Richard Jefferson, Mike Fratello, and Ray Clay. Richard Jefferson will be part of the rotating booth, while Mike Fratello will be announcing during Jordan Challenge and past Eras in MyNBA, and Ray Clay will reprise his role as the Chicago Bulls’ PA Announcer in Jordan Challenge games.

The reveal is the first in a series of daily news drops, leading up to NBA 2K23’s release next week on September 9th. MyCAREER and soundtrack news will be coming in the next couple of days, followed by details on apparel and arena enhancements, motion capture, Jordan Challenge gameplay and other gameplay content, ratings reveals, and previews of The City and Season One in MyCAREER and MyTEAM.

See below for a full breakdown of the upcoming news schedule, as well as videos of the new special guest announcers discussing their role in this year’s game. As always, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, as well as join in the discussion here in the NLSC Forum!

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