Tag Archives: eBay

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #602 of the NLSC Podcast!

Customer service, value for money, and quality products are topics that are on our minds this week. This comes in the wake of an eBay purchase that unfortunately became a deeply unpleasant transaction. After sharing that horror story, we do have some far more positive news about a successful upgrade to Windows 11, with old favourites still being playable on the new OS. We also discuss the big patch for NBA 2K26 failing to make the game better (and indeed, arguably making it worse). As we point out, some of the changes also have financial ramifications for MyCAREER and MyTEAM gamers. The show wraps up with some quick 2026 NBA predictions, though we’re admittedly still more excited to watch classic games.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 51:05 — 35.4MB)

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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!

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 offers up five warnings for basketball video game collectors.

As a 90s kid who got into more than a couple of collecting fads over the years, I’d have to say that basketball video games have been among the most satisfying things to collect. It certainly helps that I don’t have to rely on favourable odds and hope that what I want is in a pack I’m opening, but compared to trading cards and other such collectibles, video games have a practical use. Of course, there are some people who collect video games of all genres simply for the purpose of displaying and eventually selling them, but I collect basketball games to play them…and yes, to create content.

Mind you, whatever your reason for collecting video games – whatever the genre – it’s a hobby with fluctuating difficulty and expense. Furthermore, because there is money to be made, too many people are hoping to cash in on the enthusiasm – or indeed, the desperation – of collectors. I’ve strived to be as savvy and frugal as I possibly can be while building my basketball game collection, and I’ll always advise any would-be collectors and retro gamers to do the same. To that end, there are some warnings that I strongly suggest you heed. Retro gaming and collecting is a blast, but you do need to be careful about costs, and keep a few things in mind if you want to play those games.

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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 tips on how to get into basketball game collecting.

So, you say you want to get into collecting basketball video games? I’ve seen some people express interest in the hobby, especially with how often that Dee and I have talked about our collections on the NLSC Podcast! We’re admittedly at the crazier end of the hobby, doubling up on different platforms, picking up spare copies if we see them for ridiculously low prices, and seeking out some more expensive titles. One doesn’t have to be a completionist to collect though, especially when it comes to video games. It’s fine to just amass a collection of favourites that you want to have on hand.

We’ve received a couple of strange YouTube comments in regards to our collections, which seem to imply that we’re somehow doing something nefarious, or that we’re in some exclusive hobby that requires great wealth. To put it bluntly, neither is true! I believe the former comment mistook our discussion of shared experiences using Parsec as somehow hoarding games, while the latter is assuming that collecting needs to be an expensive hobby. We did respond to those comments and provided some tips on basketball game collecting way back in Episode #436 of the Podcast, but I’d like to offer some further advice, including a summary of key tips at the end of this article.

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Welcome to this week’s edition of The Friday Five! The Friday Five is a feature that I post every Friday in which I give my thoughts on a topic that’s related to NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games, as well as the real NBA, and other areas of interest to our community. The feature is presented as either a list of five items, or in the form of a Top 5 countdown. This week’s Five is a list of five old basketball games that have shot up in price on the collectors’ market in recent years.

When it comes to sourcing copies of old NBA Live and NBA 2K releases, you won’t end up paying too much. Got your hands on an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3, and feel like taking a trip down memory lane with NBA Live 10? Even on eBay, you’ll likely pay less than ten dollars, Australian or US. Even games from the 90s – such as the Super Nintendo or Sega Genesis/Mega Drive version of NBA Live 95 – are generally cheap, as there are quite a number of copies in circulation. You might pay a little more for complete-in-box, but they’re mostly very affordable to collect.

And then, there are the old basketball games that have shot up in price. Last year I took a look at five old basketball games that are very expensive to collect, and there’s some overlap with this article. However, I’ve been made aware of some other titles that are tough to affordably source, at least through a market like eBay. Old basketball games are somewhat of a niche genre when it comes to video game collecting, and as I noted, many of them are too common to fetch a high price just because of their age. They’re still affected by the same trends as retro game collecting in general though, especially if they’re legitimately rare and highly sought after, as some of these are.

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Episode #349 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Derek (aka Dee4Three) and I are your hosts for this week’s show.

The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S are out, and so is NBA 2K21 Next Gen! Unfortunately neither of us are able to play the game yet, but one of us has had some luck in our quest for a Next Gen console. In the meantime, we discuss the gameplay videos we’ve seen, impressions from the community, and an aspect of the new MyNBA mode that isn’t quite what we were expecting. Circling back to last week’s show, we answer a question about there still being room for improvement on this generation. We’re also intrigued by EA Sports expanding their portfolio, and what it might mean for college basketball games. In this week’s mailbag, we discuss the style of play in the NBA 2K League and its impact on online play, as well as the issue of various historical players being underutilised outside of MyTEAM.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:43:17 — 71.0MB)

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What’s your take on this week’s conversation? 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 mailbag questions and topic suggestions for future episodes. 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 #333 of the NLSC Podcast is out now! Derek (aka Dee4Three) and I are your hosts for this week’s show.

Would you pay $16,000 for a promotional copy of NBA 2K15? Someone on eBay is hoping that you will! We’ve spent considerably less on recent additions to our collections, which we were excited to pick up. Speaking of collectables, a few copies of Slam City with Scottie Pippen have also popped up on eBay, leading us to reflect on that somewhat forgotten game. Meanwhile, an influx of new gamers in NBA 2K20’s online scene has further emphasised the need to implement proper ranking and matchmaking measures (and inspired another rant). We also discuss what it takes to change our gaming habits on the virtual hardwood, and how some of those habits were formed in the first place.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 2:34:14 — 106.0MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

What’s your take on this week’s conversation? 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.

Here’s an interesting story that came to light recently. A lot of five copies of NBA Elite 11 – three for Xbox 360, two for PlayStation 3 – has been listed on eBay for $30,000 US. Three of the games are also factory sealed, which in addition to the rarity of available copies in the first place, contributes to the hefty price tag.

While the price is obviously steep for a game that was ultimately cancelled due to concerns about its quality, it’s certainly not unprecedented. Rare games, particularly those that were never publicly released, often fetch a lot of money as collectors’ items. Prominent examples would include Nintendo World Championships and Stadium Events for the Nintendo Entertainment System, which are desirable due to their rarity and value as collectables, rather than the actual gameplay experience that they offer.

Another example, rather relevant to basketball gaming, is the discovery of the rare, unreleased PAL version of EA’s Lakers vs. Celtics for the SEGA Mega Drive. The game, which was released on PC and in NTSC regions for the SEGA Genesis, was ultimately cancelled in PAL regions, most likely due to issues with international licensing rights. Thirteen copies have been discovered over the years, with the latest attracting bids of over £8000 on eBay.

As you may recall, I recently mentioned NBA Elite 11 as one of the basketball games that I wish I owned, simply for the sake of having such a rare and interesting collectable. However, the lot is well out of my price range, and I’d need a PAL copy besides, so suffice to say I won’t be buying it.

It is interesting that copies of NBA Elite 11 continue to surface, however. We’ll be talking more about it in Episode #214 of the NLSC Podcast, so stay tuned. Would you add NBA Elite 11 to your collection, given the opportunity? How much would you be prepared to pay for such a rare collectable? Have your say in the comments section below, or join in the discussion here in the NLSC Forum. Thanks to PopcornJones77 on Twitter for the heads up on the eBay listing.