Tag Archives: Los Angeles Lakers

If you’ve subscribed to the NLSC YouTube channel, then you may have already seen this week’s instalment of the NBA 2K14 Retro Series. If not, you’re in for a radical treat, as it’s a re-creation of Game 4 of the 1991 NBA Finals between Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls and Magic Johnson’s Los Angeles Lakers!

Why Game 4 of the 1991 NBA Finals in particular? Well, I originally intended it to be the title-clinching Game 5, but I neglected to make some necessary adjustments to the Lakers’ lineup to accurately portray that contest. Obviously, these highlights would still work as a re-imagining of a non-specific clash from that Finals series, but I decided to make it Game 4 as it lines up with MJ doing it all at the offensive end in that game, from pouring in buckets to racking up assists. Indeed, he dished out more assists than Magic in Game 4, and his final line of 29 points and 12 assists is very close to the actual box score. Check it out!

As always, there’ll be more fun on the way very soon, so be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more basketball gaming content! Remember that Dee and I are also open to suggestions for games that you’d like to see us play, so feel free to hit us up. Also be sure to submit your best plays to Dee to be featured in the weekly Top 10 countdown!

I think many of us still find it tough to wrap our heads around it – and the passage of time doesn’t make it any easier – but it’s been four years since we lost Kobe Bryant in a tragic helicopter crash. Since then, there have been many tributes to the Mamba including NBA 2K covers, and of course his enshrinement into the Hall of Fame. Basketball gamers are actively keeping his memory alive by playing with him on the virtual hardwood, and to that end, I replayed Kobe Bryant’s last game against the Utah Jazz in NBA Live 16.

Since I was playing on six minute quarters, replicating his feat of 60 points was always going to be difficult. While I did fall short of that number, I kept feeding the Mamba the ball, and pulled off some very satisfying highlights in the process. NBA Live 16 is a game that I’ve come to appreciate more upon revisiting it in recent months, and it’s always fun getting buckets with Kobe. I’m sure that many basketball fans will be taking control of Kobe today and this weekend, and this is my tribute to one of the greatest to grace the hardwood, both real and virtual.

Feel free to share your memories of Kobe, and if you post any highlights on social media, be sure to tag us. Beyond that, we’re constantly uploading basketball gaming content to the NLSC YouTube channel, so please subscribe, and hit us up with suggestions of any games that you’d like to see us play. Rest in Peace, Mamba.

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 some throwback stints, as portrayed by the Xbox 360 version of NBA Live 06.

Tinkering with the rosters to set up fun scenarios and minimalist modding projects has become a staple of my retro basketball gaming. I enjoy the challenge of seeing what can be done with the assets I have at my disposal, and it’s gratifying whenever I’m able to cobble together something that I can at least get a game or two out of. Some attempts are more successful than others as far as creating playable scenarios, but if nothing else, I’ll get some interesting screenshots out of my endeavours. That’s what happened while I was on my extended retro kick with NBA Live 06 for Xbox 360.

While exploring the idea of a makeshift classic teams roster – something that fell apart thanks to a roster editing glitch that can happen way too easily – I ended up placing a number of players on their former teams, and taking some screenshots. I wasn’t sure what I’d do with those screens, but I didn’t want my efforts to go to waste, and figured that they’d come in handy for an article somewhere down the line. I may find further use for them yet, but for now, here are some throwback stints that I set up in the Xbox 360 version of NBA Live 06. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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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 taking a look back at the original All-Time Teams that were featured in early NBA 2K titles.

The concept of All-Time Teams is naturally a staple of sports discussion. Which franchise could field the best lineup with all the players that have ever worn their uniform? Who can boast the best all-time starting lineup? Who would prevail in a showdown of stars, if they could all be together on the team in their prime? Such What Ifs are impossible to conclusively prove in reality, but they’re a great idea for fantasy matchups in video games. Even in the early days of NBA Live modding, the community was creating Legends and All-Time Teams rosters.

Those projects have remained popular over the years, so it’s no surprise that with all of the other historical content in NBA 2K, All-Time squads were eventually added for each franchise. As I noted when I covered those teams in a previous article, while the concept was nothing new, it saved us a lot of time by ensuring that certain players and assets would be in the game by default. However, I neglected to mention that NBA 2K18 wasn’t the first game in the series to feature All-Time Teams, as a few such squads were unlockable in earlier releases. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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With the launch of NBA 2K24, you can expect plenty of post-release coverage and content from us, including commentary and highlight reels. However, I wanted to share a couple of recent uploads to our YouTube channel that you may have missed, featuring highlights from Fantasy Teams games in NBA Live 10.

As Dee and I have discussed on the NLSC Podcast, NBA Live 10 has been a reliable go-to for us to play over Parsec. I’ve also developed a much greater appreciation for it since revisiting it a couple of years ago, and it’s now one of my all-time favourite basketball video games. The Fantasy Teams mode has been a fun way of changing up our NBA Live 10 sessions, especially when we’ve put together makeshift classic teams. That brings us to the two highlight reels that I’m sharing today.

The first game is one that I played on an actual PlayStation 3, using a work-in-progress Fantasy Sandbox roster. Using Fantasy Teams and the players available in the default rosters, I put together the 2001 Orlando Magic and took on the 2001 Los Angeles Lakers. The second game was played using the PS3 emulator with Dee hosting over Parsec, where – inspired by the Mamba Moments in NBA 2K24 – we used Fantasy Teams to re-create a 2006 season matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. Both games were a blast to play, and produced some great highlights in a game that still holds up superbly.

You can check out both of those highlight reels below! Be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more basketball gaming content, including the weekly Top 10 Plays, episodes of the NLSC Podcast, game retrospectives, video essays, and more.

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Dee and I have connected on a variety of games over the past couple of weeks, as we’ll discuss in the next episode of the NLSC Podcast. In the meantime, you can see how one of those contests went down, as Dee put together the highlights from our NBA Live 18 game.

In the game, Dee and I took control of the Los Angeles Lakers for a co-op clash against the San Antonio Spurs. Dee suggested those teams as the pre-LeBron James, rookie Lonzo Ball Lakers are not usually a team we’d use, while the Spurs also had an unfamiliar look, having entered the post-Tim Duncan era. It proved to be a fun matchup that went right down to the wire! Along the way, we were able to create several highlights, which reminded us that while NBA Live 18 was a rough release in many ways, it can still be quite enjoyable. See for yourself!

We’re frequently uploading highlights from our co-op and individual basketball gaming sessions to the NLSC YouTube channel, in addition to the weekly Top 10 Plays, video essays, and more, so be sure to subscribe! As always, also feel free to hit us up with any suggestions of games that you’d like to see us play.

Although I’ve chiefly kept NBA 2K14 for PlayStation 4 in my gaming rotation because I’m enjoying an ongoing MyCAREER, it’s not the only thing I’m doing with the game. If you’re subscribed to our YouTube channel or follow us on social media, you may be aware of my NBA 2K14 Retro Series.

In short, the NBA 2K14 Retro Series is a journey through NBA history, using NBA 2K14 PS4. On top of playing various matchups with the game’s selection of classic teams, I’m adding effects in post-production to capture the aesthetic of their respective eras.

First up, there’s a showdown between two bitter rivals, the ’89 Bulls and ’89 Pistons. In addition to the filter, you’ll also see some VHS tracking, as you might if you were re-watching the game on an often-played and well-worn tape. Next, there’s the ’65 Lakers and ’65 Celtics squaring off, in glorious black and white with some era-appropriate audio and visual effects!

After that, I got a little creative and used the ’95 Magic and ’94 Rockets to play a November 1994 matchup between the two future 1995 NBA Finalists. My most recent entry in the series is a matchup between the ’86 Hawks and ’86 Celtics, as Dominique Wilkins duels Larry Bird in the old Boston Garden. Along the way, you’ll notice a few other touches to take you back to the year in question.

Check out the first four games in the NBA 2K14 Retro Series below! Stay tuned for more classic matchups using NBA 2K14 PS4, and feel free to throw out some suggestions for other historical showdowns you’d like to see. Be sure to subscribe to the NLSC YouTube channel for more basketball gaming content.

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The latest NBA 2K23 mod releases feature Pinoy21’s jersey updates for the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers. Download them both at the links below!

Pinoy21
Chicago Bulls Jersey (Pinoy21)
Los Angeles Lakers Jersey (Pinoy21)

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.

If you’re subscribed to the NLSC YouTube channel – and you absolutely should be! – then you may have seen that Dee4Three has tipped off a new video series: NLSC Greatest Performances! This series spotlights incredible performances on the virtual hardwood, and first up is Delonte West.

As you may recall, Delonte West had himself a night during our NBA Live 10 Tournament! In a series featuring LeBron James and Kobe Bryant, it was West who stepped up for Cavs4872 in the second half of Game 2 against QB1120 and the Lakers, scorching the nets for 39 points in just 12 minutes. Dee has compiled a highlight reel of Delonte’s scoring deluge, which came from a barrage of cold-blooded jumpers and fearless forays to the rim. Watch as West turns King James and the Black Mamba into mere spectators!

These epic performances by Virtual Hardwood Legends are as entertaining as putting up numbers with the all-time greats, and they stick in our minds for years to come. As this series continues, Dee will be spotlighting many incredible performances in basketball video games, new and old. From the superstars of the sport to Virtual Hardwood Legends to career mode avatars, stay tuned for a dazzling array of highlights in NLSC Greatest Performances!

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, it’s a highlight reel from a makeshift 1998 Bulls vs Lakers matchup in NBA Live 06 for Xbox 360.

Yes, the retro kick continues! Although I could easily play this matchup with proper faces and jerseys in NBA 2K22, there’s something really fun about makeshift rosters. Of course, given the lack of modding options for the Xbox 360 version of NBA Live 06, a minimalist approach to re-creating a 1998 Bulls vs Lakers game is the best I can do! It nevertheless resulted in an extremely enjoyable retro gaming experience. Even with animations that are showing their age and lack variety, there were a couple that felt “Jordanesque”! Since I had such a blast, I kept the recording and created another highlight reel. Join me as I take a look back…way back…

Although NBA Live 06 PC is the better all-around release, the Xbox 360 version is far more impressive than I once thought. It has its limitations, but it holds up as a fun game to revisit. Normally I’d use it to indulge my nostalgia for the mid 2000s, but on this occasion, I’m celebrating the late 90s and The Last Dance as well. It’s a shame that we can’t mod the Xbox 360 version, but as you can see, you can still have a great time with a little effort and imagination. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this reel, and may perhaps be inspired to give NBA Live 06 or another old game a second look. In the meantime, be sure to check out our YouTube channel for more video content!

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 some famous NBA What Ifs, and portraying them in NBA Live 10.

What Ifs can be fun to ponder, whether they concern the NBA or video games. There are trades and signings that, if they’d happened, would’ve changed the course of NBA history. Likewise, we can point to game-changing moments in the history of the virtual hardwood. Indeed, NBA Live 10 is an example of such a turning point. If EA Sports had elected to continue building on the base it established rather than trying to reboot the series with the ill-fated NBA Elite 11, the basketball gaming landscape would undoubtedly be very different today.

As far as NBA What Ifs are concerned though, they’re something that we can play out in video games. It’s a great concept for a roster, and while that’s not what I’m doing today, I’ve decided to mix a couple of ideas together by reflecting on some of the biggest NBA What Ifs and portraying them using NBA Live 10; a game that has an air of What If about it. Obviously there are some other historical NBA What Ifs that I won’t be touching on here because the players aren’t in NBA Live 10, but feel free to discuss those in the comments as well. Let’s wonder what might have been as we take a look back…way back…

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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 a few thoughts on the need to be wisely judicious when picking modding projects to undertake.

I had what you might call a modding disaster last week. A project that I’d started on a whim went up in flames when an unexpected glitch ruined the better part of a day’s work, to the point where I had to abandon it. To say that it was extremely frustrating is an understatement. It was, after all, time that I could’ve spent on other modding projects that I’ve been trying to finish for a while now. Beyond that, I liked how it was beginning to come together. There was still some work to do, but it probably would’ve only taken another day or so.

I’ll describe the project and the resulting disaster in more detail momentarily, but in the aftermath of losing all that work, it really impressed upon me the need for good modding habits. There are reasons that we can find ourselves being pulled in many directions by appealing ideas for modding projects, why we neglect what’s already on the workbench for that shiny new spark of inspiration. Even if you only stick to one project at a time, however, there are pitfalls that can catch you out no matter how long you’ve been modding. Sometimes you won’t even consider them until it’s too late, and both time and work is lost. It’s why we need to pick our modding projects wisely.

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My first releases for this year’s March Modness are a little different. As I mentioned in Episode #363 of the NLSC Podcast, revisiting the Xbox 360 version of NBA Live 06 to check a couple of details resulted in an extended session with the game, and the inclination to mess around with its rosters.

To that end, I’ve whipped up a couple of quick projects, both of which I’m sharing today. The first is an End of Season roster, which includes final 2006 season lineups. I’ve also added a few missing players that ended up having prominent roles, such as Smush Parker. It’s not as detailed of an update as I’d make for PC, but it’s something I put together for my own use, and have decided to share it.

The second roster adds makeshift 1998 Bulls and 1998 Lakers to the game. Again, it’s nowhere near as comprehensive as a roster I’d make for PC, but you get the idea. It’s something else I made just for fun, and am sharing in case anyone else wants to try it out. Download the End of Season rosters here, and the ’98 teams rosters here. I’ve also created a post for them in my NBA Live 06 release topic.

Please note that rosters for the Xbox 360 version of NBA Live 06 need to be rehashed and resigned before they’ll work on another console. I’ve found a video which explains the process, which I’ve posted below along with some basic installation instructions. Other than that, I’m providing these saves as-is, with no guarantees. I hope a few people will feel inclined to try them out! I’m also still working on some projects for PC games, so stay tuned.

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The official NBA 2K Twitter account has revealed that two new classic teams have been added to NBA 2K21: the 2017 Golden State Warriors, and 2019 Toronto Raptors. Teaser screenshots of both teams were also posted, which you can check out below.

Last year, NBA 2K20 added six new classic teams, while also bringing back the All-Decade squads. As we find ourselves in a new decade, it seems more and more likely that future games will continue to add teams from the 2010s.

Interestingly, it appears that 2K are also looking to add the 2009 or 2010 Los Angeles Lakers to the game, which at this stage would have to happen through a roster update. Securing the likeness rights for all of the necessary players is proving to be a sticking point however, with Ronnie 2K actually making a public appeal for help in contacting Andrew Bynum. As such, it remains to be seen if 2K will be able to honour Kobe Bryant with a squad from later in his career.

If nothing else however, we’ve received confirmation that the 2017 Warriors and 2019 Raptors will be among the classic teams in NBA 2K21. What are your thoughts? Sound off in the comments below, and join in the discussion here in the NLSC Forum!

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Tip off the weekend with some new file additions for NBA 2K11 PC! Enhance a beloved favourite with the latest 2020 season courts, Kobe Bryant title screen, G-League rosters, and Summer League rosters by DaCrispy, and a collection of retro Lakers team add-ons by JuicyShaqMeat. Please see below for all the download links!

JuicyShaqMeat
2006/2009/2010 Los Angeles Lakers

DaCrispy
Summer League Update 2019-20
G-League Update – 2K20 Update
Kobe Bryant Title Screen
Detroit Pistons 2019-20 Court
Golden State Warriors 2019-20 Court
Houston Rockets 2019-20 Court
Dallas Mavericks 2019-20 Courts

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 File Additions bulletins, please see this FAQ in our Wiki.