Tag Archives: Emeka Okafor

For anyone who hasn’t seen them yet, Dee has uploaded the highlights from our Parsec session of NBA 2K8 to the NLSC YouTube channel. In this co-op game, we assumed control of the Class of 2004 squad and took on the Class of 2005, essentially staging our own version of the Rookie Challenge from the 2005 All-Star Weekend.

As we discussed in our recap in Episode #521 of the NLSC Podcast, unfortunately a power outage ended the game prematurely as the fourth quarter was drawing to a close. We were in the lead at the time – so I for one am going to call it a victory for us – but it was certainly shaping up to be a dramatic conclusion. As you can see from the highlights however, it was an exciting game up until that point with Ben Gordon lighting it up from range, Josh Smith skying for some thunderous finishes on alley-oops, and cover player Chris Paul giving us everything we could handle on defense. See for yourself!

NBA 2K8 is a game that I still need to cover for Wayback Wednesday, so stay tuned for that retrospective and further highlights! As always, we encourage you to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel if you haven’t already, as well as hit us up with any suggestions of games that you’d like to see us play.

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 16 in an ongoing series looking at players who only appeared on certain teams in video games.

So, as of writing, there will be four more articles covering players who only appeared on certain team in games, following this one. That will take us through to Part 20 on the last Friday of January 2024. At one point, this was going to be the final article in the series – at least for now – but David L has come through with so many great examples that I couldn’t not write about them! There were also too many interesting stories and players who were memorable for one reason or another for me to scrap what I had already written, so instead I decided to continue this series a little longer!

After covering some more obscure players in Part 15, Part 16 features names that are – with one exception – far more recognisable to fans who know their NBA history. Of course, their phantom stints can still easily fly under the radar. A couple of them are looser examples of players who only appeared on certain teams in games as they do have a prior stint with the club in question, but their return didn’t come to fruition outside of the virtual hardwood. As such, they do still qualify as phantom stints. Again, that’s probably what I should’ve called this series in the first place! In any case, let’s look at five more players with phantom stints that video games have preserved.

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This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! In this feature, we dig into the archives, look back at the history of basketball gaming, and indulge in some nostalgia. Check in every Wednesday for retrospectives and other features on older versions of NBA Live, NBA 2K, and old school basketball video games in general. You’ll also find old NLSC editorials re-published with added commentary, and other flashback content. This week, I’m taking a look back at NBA players that made returns after extended absences from the league.

Yes, it’s another “interactive almanac” Wayback Wednesday feature, taking a look back at some historical NBA trivia through the lens of video games! This time, I’m focusing on players that made their way back to the NBA – and therefore the virtual hardwood as well – after at least two years away. There have been a handful of very notable names that have made NBA returns following extended absences, as well as some key role players and journeymen that reappeared after their time in the NBA had seemingly drawn to a close.

Indeed, that’s a common theme with most of these players. Whether they retired due to age or injury, they were no longer drawing interest from any teams, or they found a comfortable spot playing in another league, we didn’t expect these NBA returns. Of course, that’s what makes them so interesting, then and now. Incidentally, this topic was suggested by The BBall Pundit on Twitter, so shout out to you! With that being said, let’s take a look back…way back…

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