Tag Archives: MyCAREER Story

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 reminiscing about NBA 2K8 making a cameo during the story in NBA 2K19 MyCAREER.

MyCAREER stories have undoubtedly been hit or miss. From the way they impact the gameplay experience to the quality of the stories themselves, some have managed to enhance the mode, while others have unfortunately detracted from it. For me, “The Way Back” – the story of NBA 2K19’s MyCAREER – was one of the stronger tales. It took us along a very different path to the NBA, with some genuinely captivating story beats. Sure, there’s a glaring plot hole that could’ve easily been avoided with only a slight change to the ending, but even that makes it interesting!

With that in mind, “The Way Back” is definitely one of my favourite MyCAREER stories. It also helps that the developers got creative in adding interactive elements beyond the usual gameplay. Not only did we have character and dialogue choices, but there were also hoops-related activities ranging from a barnyard pickup game to mini basketball at a fair. This also includes a memorable tribute to the history of the NBA 2K series, as our MyPLAYER ends up playing NBA 2K8 during the course of the NBA 2K19 MyCAREER story. Let’s 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! 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 picking up where I left off in Year 7 of my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER.

After wrapping up my sixth season in NBA 2K14 MyCAREER and playing the first couple of games in Year 7, I decided to take a break. It’s not that I wasn’t enjoying the journey anymore, but I felt it was time for a change. And so, I put that game on ice, with the intention of picking it up whenever I felt like it. Since then however, other basketball gaming activities have held my attention. It wasn’t until Dee and I were discussing our virtual hardwood habits so far in 2026 on the NLSC Podcast a couple of weeks ago that I thought about just how long it’s been since I fired up that save file.

To that point, my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER has been on the bench since September 2025. In other words, almost eight months now! I was surprised when I checked the date, though it speaks to how quickly the days, months, and indeed years fly by. I certainly don’t regret taking a break as I’m enjoying what I’ve been playing all year, but I have been thinking about bringing my NBA 2K14 MyCAREER back into the rotation. I’ll be alternating between it and other games more frequently than before, as it’s already been a long and satisfying journey, and I don’t want to shelve the titles I’ve been enjoying. Still, Year 7 features an intriguing scenario that’s drawing me back.

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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 a list of my least favourite teammates from all of my MyCAREER games.

Since I’ve already reflected on my favourite MyCAREER teammates, it only makes sense to look back at my least favourite teammates! Fortunately, there haven’t been too many players that I just couldn’t stand teaming up with on the virtual hardwood. Furthermore, while I’d nominate those players as my least favourite teammates across all of my MyCAREER games, I can’t say that they’ve ruined the experience. At the same time, they’re the players who’ve been the most frustrating or the least enjoyable to play with, owing to their subpar performance whenever we’re on the court together.

Although for the most part it’s their on-court performance that ranks these players among my least favourite teammates, I will admit that I’m not fond of a couple of their real life counterparts either. Interestingly, a few of my least favourite teammates come from my all-time favourite MyCAREER games, including ones where I was on the Chicago Bulls. As I noted in my previous article though, none of my favourite Bulls squads are from the late 2010s, so it stands to reason that I don’t have a lot of affection for those players as MyCAREER teammates. Without any further ado, here are five players I haven’t been thrilled to call my teammates in MyCAREER games!

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Although gamers who picked up the Superstar and Leave No Doubt editions of NBA 2K26 are already hitting the virtual hardwood and blacktop, the latest Courtside Report provides details on The City in this year’s game. That includes insights into Park and other modes, as well as this year’s MyCAREER story.

Notably, the framerate in The City is now a smooth 60 FPS, and it’s been designed in a way that makes it quicker and easier to navigate. Parks will have a more realistic aesthetic this year, and we’ll be seeing some remastered NBA 2K16 Parks return as Seasonal content. There will be more opportunities to gain rewards, such as beating a server’s Park MVP. Crews have been added, along with some new leaderboards. It will also be possible to swap between multiple builds without having to exit The City in NBA 2K26.

Additionally, MyCOURT features some new practice drills and customisation options. As mentioned, the Courtside Report also provides a brief synopsis of this year’s MyCAREER story – Out of Bounds – in which MP is an unknown prospect from a small town in Vermont looking to gain attention and make it to the big time. It also mentions a couple of other MyCAREER features, including Key Games and passion projects.

As always, I encourage you to check out the Courtside Report for the full scoop, but I’ve summarised the key points below. Feel free to share any thoughts in the comments, as well as join in the discussion here in the Forum!

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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 Vic Van Lier from NBA 2K16’s MyCAREER story “Livin’ Da Dream”, and media literacy in general.

When the NBA Centel’s Twitter/X was temporarily shut down in February, it led to an outpouring of support for the satirical social media account. Several teams dedicated their victories on February 26th to NBA Centel, and there was much rejoicing when it was reinstated. Unsurprisingly, the official NBA 2K account jumped on the trend, but took it a step further by including a headshot of Vic Van Lier in their tribute. While I’d normally be tempted to cite Alex Krokus’ “Life of a Meme” comic here, I have to tip my hat to 2K’s social media team for making an enjoyable reference.

Since then, NBA Centel’s account has been reinstated, which means they can go back to fooling alleged analysts into believing fictional stories. And while we’re on the subject of stories and media literacy, let’s talk about Vic Van Lier and Spike Lee’s “Livin’ Da Dream” in NBA 2K16. Quite a few people replied to 2K’s aforementioned post with memories of that tale, paying tribute to Vic Van Lier and referring to his fatal accident as one of the saddest moments in the history of MyCAREER. Look, entertainment is subjective, and we’re all entitled to our opinions. However, when it comes to Vic and NBA 2K16’s story, I have to wonder…did people pay attention?

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #541 of the NLSC Podcast!

The latest NBA 2K25 Courtside Report has delivered the details on MyCAREER and MyPLAYER in this year’s game. While some of the news is definitely promising on paper, we still have our doubts. Indeed, the lengthy grind and pushy recurrent revenue mechanics remain an elephant in the room that far too many content creators and influencers don’t want to acknowledge, and sometimes even actively downplay. Nevertheless, we join the community in reacting to the latest NBA 2K25 previews. We also asked the community what they’d pay for a home port of NBA Superstars, and recap some of the excellent retro pickups that a couple of our fellow gamers have recently scored.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:05:01 — 45.0MB)

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’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 presentation of some MyCAREER story awards, which I’m calling The Grindies.

Believe it or not, we now have ten years’ worth of NBA 2K games that have featured a story in MyCAREER! The approach has been divisive, receiving plenty of praise and scorn alike. Generally speaking, the production values are held in high regard, particularly beginning with “Livin’ Da Dream” in NBA 2K16. Conversely, the way in which some stories have intruded on the gameplay experience has made the story-driven approach unpopular with other MyCAREER gamers. Nevertheless, it remains one of the most popular modes in NBA 2K, if only for the connected online scene.

As someone who has been a devoted MyCAREER gamer since NBA 2K13, I have mixed feelings about the mode featuring a linear story. In some ways it’s enhanced the experience, but it’s absolutely detracted from it as well. I’ve been critical of many of the stories, yet I also find them fascinating. It’s an interesting concept to evaluate, and given the debate about whether or not video games are art and a medium capable of in-depth storytelling, there’s a lot to sink our teeth into. And so, I’m going to hand out The Grindies: awards spotlighting the best and worst aspects of the MyCAREER stories to date. Why “The Grindies”? Well, if you play MyCAREER, you’ll know!

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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 a frank discussion of how MyCAREER absolutely sucks in NBA 2K23.

Whenever I talk about playing NBA 2K14 MyCAREER or upload videos, I anticipate a few different responses. There are lovely people who take an interest in that journey, and the updates that I share. It’s prompted a few people to reflect on the fun that they had with NBA 2K14, and either resolve to dust it off, or wistfully wish that they still could. And of course, there’s the occasional person scoffing at the idea of not playing the latest game. “There are people still playing NBA 2K14? Why?” Incidentally, I do actually play NBA 2K23, but not MyCAREER, because it sucks.

Part of me wishes that I could phrase that sentiment more eloquently, and less like a clickbait video. It’s always my aim to be constructive and analytical when I assess a basketball video game and its features, avoiding hyperbole and insulting phrasing as much as possible. In this case however, it’s a suitably succinct way of expressing the view that MyCAREER in NBA 2K23 has a strong case for being the absolute worst iteration of the mode to date. It’s not altogether surprising, as in many ways it’s a culmination of years of discouraging design choices. That doesn’t make it any less disappointing though, especially when earlier games provided superior experiences.

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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 a list of five fun details that could be found in NBA 2K19’s MyCAREER story.

Since their introduction in NBA 2K14 for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, MyCAREER stories have been controversial. Some of them have been intrusive, poorly-written, or both. Others have been more enjoyable to play through, though many gamers still opt to skip the better ones. This ability to skip the story was first implemented in NBA 2K19’s MyCAREER, but that wasn’t the only good addition that year. Indeed, some of the fun details in NBA 2K19’s MyCAREER story made it worth playing through at least once, if not twice. I personally played through it on both PC and PlayStation 4.

Unfortunately, NBA 2K19’s MyCAREER story is no longer playable, as the server shutdown has left the game with the stripped-down offline version of the mode. As such, these fun details are now permanently lost. It may not be a big deal to everyone, but it’s a shame that the single player portion of MyCAREER is now so intertwined with the connected experience that it’s limited – or completely absent – following the servers being shut down. NBA 2K19’s MyCAREER story had some fun details that could’ve potentially made it an enjoyable retro gaming experience, but I’m glad I was able to enjoy them when I could. Here are five of those details that stand out to me.

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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 MyCAREER story in NBA 2K20, titled “When The Lights Are Brightest”.

Following NBA 2K18’s ridiculous MyCAREER tale starring a prospect who quit basketball to be a DJ, finally makes it to the NBA following a streetball tournament, and is flanked by his annoying best friend/roommate B-Fresh, NBA 2K19 featured a much better written story. “The Way Back” not only boasted impressive production values from a cinematic standpoint, but also attempted to spice up the journey with mini-games and other interactive elements. It wasn’t perfect, but it stood out as one of the better MyCAREER stories, and a tough act to follow.

To that end, Visual Concepts collaborated with Maverick Carter and LeBron James on the story for NBA 2K20’s MyCAREER, “When The Lights Are Brightest”. Indeed, Carter, LeBron, and their production company, Springhill Entertainment, are credited on the cover as executive producers for MyCAREER. The story has been shelved for good following the shutdown of the NBA 2K20 servers, since MyCAREER is no longer playable. With that being said, what was the story, was it any good, and are we missing out since we’re now unable to revisit it? Let’s take a look back…way back…

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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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