With the release of NBA 2k22 we now have official NBA 2k22 Badge Guide of up to 80 badges, which are not limited to just one tier. NBA 2k22 Badges are earned in MyCareer based on how you play, who you hang out with, and how good your regular attributes are.
How to Unlock Badges
Badges are divvied up into a number of categories. These include Finishing, Shooting, Playmaking, and Defense/Rebounding. You unlock badges by building up points in each skill via your in-game performance related to that skill. For example, getting steals and blocks will build up points for Defense / Rebounding.
Once you get enough badge points for a skill, you can then choose one of the specific skill’s badges.
There are 80 Badges in total with all of them being identical between both current/last-gen and next-gen. NBA 2k22 Badge Loadouts are a new addition in this year’s game, and allows you to quickly and easily toggle what badges you have equipped.
NBA 2k22 Badge Guide
Finishing Badges – 20 Total
Acrobat – Boosts the ability to hit high degree of difficulty layups. Spin, half-spin, hop step, euro-step, cradle, reverse and change shot layup attempts receive a significant boost.
Backdown Punisher – Increases the chances of a player successfully backing down their opponent. Allows players to have more success than normal when backing down a defender in the paint.
Dream Shake – Raises the chances that a defender bites when doing fakes in the post. Post move fakes have a higher chance of stunning a defender. Also, shot attempts following post moves and shot fakes have an increased shot percentage.
Dropstepper – Improves a player’s ability to effectively use dropsteps in the post. Allows for more success when attempting post dropsteps and hop steps, in addition to protecting the ball better while performing these moves in the post.
Fast Twitch* – Speeds up standing layups or dunks around the rim
Fearless Finisher – Improves a player’s ability to convert contact layups.
Strengthens a player’s ability to absorb contact and still finish. Also reduces the amount of energy lost from contact layups.
Giant Slayer – Heightens the effectiveness of layups over taller defenders. Boosts the shot percentage for a layup attempt when mismatched against a taller defender and reduces the possibility of getting blocked.
Grace Under Pressure* – Boosts effectiveness on standing shots under or near the basket
Hook Specialist – Increases post hook shot percentage. Gives a boost to post hooks taken from any distance.
Lob City Finisher – Improves the chances of completing a successful alley-oop dunk/layup. Improves a player’s ability to successfully finish an alley-oop layup or dunk. The shot must be taken before the receiver lands.
Limitless Takeoff*– Favors dunks and layups from a farther take-off range
Mouse in The House* – Gives a boost on layups if the opponent is much smaller
Post Spin Technician– Improves the ability of a post spin or drive to work effectively. Attempting to do post spins or drives result in more effective moves, and less of a chance to be stripped.
Posterizer– Improves the likelihood of posterizing your opponent
Pro Touch – Gives an additional boost for having good layup timing. Gives an extra shot boost for having slightly early, slightly late, or excellent shot timing on layups.
Putback Boss – Increases shot percentage when attempting a putback after an offensive rebound. Boosts the shot attributes of a player that attempts a putback layup or dunk right after getting an offensive rebound.
Rise Up – Makes it easier to dunk when under the basket
Slithery Finisher – Improves a player’s ability to avoid contact when attacking the rim. Increases a player’s ability to slide through traffic and avoid contact during gathers and finishes at the rim.
Tear Dropper – Increases the chance of hitting floaters and runners. Improves a player’s ability to knock down floaters and runners.
Unstrippable* – Protects the ball while trying to do a layup or dunk
Shooting Badges – 20 Total
Blinders – Becomes unfazed by defenders from the side. Jump shots taken with a defender closing out in their peripheral vision will suffer a lower penalty.
Catch & Shoot – Boosts the chance of hitting a jump shot immediately after a catch. For a short time after receiving a pass, the receiver’s outside shooting attributes get a significant boost.
Chef*– Increases the range for off-the-dribble three point shots
Circus Threes – Boosts to stepback threes. Stepback threes taken off the dribble receive a boost.
Clutch Shooter – Increases the ability to knock down shots in clutch moments. Shot attempts that occur during the final moments of the 4th quarter, or in any overtime period, receive a large boost.
Corner Specialist – Gives a boost to shots taken near the corner. Deep mid-range or 3PT shots taken along the baseline of the court receive a boost, whether it is off the dribble or off a catch.
Deadeye – Reduces the impact of a defender who is closing out. Jump shots taken with a defender closing out receive less of a penalty from a shot contest. This includes both mid-range and 3PT shots.
Difficult Shots– Improves the ability to shoot difficult shots off the dribble. High difficulty jumpers such as hop steps, spins, stepbacks, and pull-ups receive a shot percentage boost.
Fade Ace – Improves ability to shoot post fades. Shot boost to post fadeaways taken from ANY distance.
Green Machine – Increases the bonus given for consecutive excellent releases. Gives an additional shot boost when consecutively achieving excellent releases on jump shots.
Hot Zone Hunter – Boosts the shot percentage for attempts taken in a player’s favorite spots. Shots that are taken in a player’s hot zone(s) are given a boost.
Limitless Spot-Up* – Boosts the range that one can effectively shoot standing three point shots
Lucky #7* – Gives a boost to early shot-clock jumpers
Mismatch Expert* – Receive less of a penalty when shooting over tall defenders
Rhythm Shooter – Improves shots taken after breaking down your defender. Increases the chances of a made shot after sizing up your opponent with dribble moves.
Set Shooter – Increases shot rating when taking your time before shooting. Gives a shot boost after standing still before taking a jump shot.
Slippery Off-Ball – Strengthens the player’s ability to get open off the ball. When attempting to get open off screens, the player more effectively navigates through traffic.
Sniper – Boosts to well aimed shots. Jump Shots taken with the aiming stick will receive a boost when aimed correctly.
Stop & Pop – Boosts shot rating on stand-still three pointers after dribbling. Boosts shot rating on stand-still three pointers after dribbling.
Volume Shooter– Boosts shot percentages as shot attempts accrue throughout the game. After a player has taken a small handful of shots, an additional boost to shot attributes is given for every subsequent shot, whether it’s a make or a miss.
Playmaking Badges – 20 Total
Ankle Breaker – Improves the likelihood of freezing or dropping a defender during dribble moves.
Bail Out – Increases the chances of successfully completing a pass from mid-air.
Break Starter – Improves a player’s ability to make effective outlet passes after grabbing a rebound.
Bullet Passer – Improves a player’s ability to quickly pass the ball. Speeds up how quickly a player gets the ball out of their hands as well as the velocity of the pass.
Dimer – Boosts the shot percentage for open teammates on jump shots after catching a pass.
Downhill– Increases overall speed with the ball in transition. Gives a bonus to a player’s Speed With Ball attribute in fastbreak situations.
Floor General – Teammates receive an offensive attribute bonus when player is in the game. Gives offensive attribute boosts to teammates when on the floor.
Glue Hands* – Improve the ability to catch difficult passes and quickly put the ball on the floor
Handles for Days– Reduces the amount of energy lost when performing dribble moves. A player takes less of an energy hit when performing consecutive dribble moves.
Hyperdrive * – Increases the dribbling skills while on the move
Needle Threader– Increases the likelihood that tough passes can get by the defense. When passing through a tight window between defenders, a boost is given to the player’s passing ability.
Post Playmaker* – Boosts the shot percentage on passes made out of the post to a shooter
Quick Chain – Improves the ability to quickly chain dribble moves together
Quick First Step – Provides more explosive first steps out of triple threat and size-ups. When driving out of triple threat or after a size-up, ball handlers have access to quicker and more effective launches.
Space Creator– Improves a player’s ability to create space from a defender. When performing any stepback move or shot, there’s a higher chance of successfully creating separation from the opponent.
Special Delivery* – Gives boost to passer and receiver’s takeover meter following a flashy pass if the shot goes in. Takeover boost for both the passer and receiver after a flashy assist.
Stop & Go – Improves a player’s ability to start and stop with the ball. Allows for the ball handler to start and stop quickly with unique stops and launches exclusive to this badge.
Tight Handles – Improves a player’s ability to break down their defender. Increases a player’s ball handling ability in size-up situations, making it easier to break down the on-ball defender.
Triple Threat-Juke* – Speeds up tribple threat moves when trying to blow by the defender
Unpluckable – Reduces the chances of getting stripped by the defender. When performing dribble moves, defenders have a tougher time poking the ball free with their steal attempts.
Defensive / Rebounding Badges – 20 Total
Ankle Braces – Reduces the chances of getting crossed over. Lowers the likelihood of getting ankle-broken by opposing dribble moves.
Ball Stripper * – Raises the chances of stripping an opponent when they attack the basket
Box– Improves player’s ability to box out opponents. Strengthens a player’s ability to effectively box out opponents in anticipation of a rebound.
Brick Wall – Increases effectiveness of screens and drains energy from opponents on physical contact. This badge makes it tougher for the defense to get through or around screens.
Chasedown Artist – Raises the chances of getting a chase-down block. Boosts the speed and leaping ability of a player when he is chasing down an offensive player in anticipation of a block attempt.
Clamps– Boosts the ability to stay in front of the ball handler on the perimeter. Defenders have access to quicker cut off moves and are more successful when bumping or hip riding the ball handler.
Defensive Leader – Boosts the defensive abilities of teammates when in the game. Lifts the defensive abilities of teammates when on the court. Also, at the Hall of Fame level, can see potential shot percentages of opposing players.
Hustler * – A player that has a nose for the ball
Interceptor– Increases chances at getting steals in passing lanes. The frequency of successfully tipped or intercepted passes greatly increases.
Intimidator – Intimidates offensive players causing them to miss shots more often. Offensive players have less success shooting when contested by players with this badge.
Menace * – A player known for harassing their matchup while on defense
Off-Ball Pest – Improves a player’s ability to bump and harass the offense off the ball.
Pick Dodger– Improves a player’s ability to navigate through screens effectively on defense.
Pick Pocket – Improves a player’s ability to steal the ball from a ball handler. Increases the chances of a steal and reduces the chances of a foul when attempting to strip the ball from a ball handler.
Pogo Stick – Improves the ability to attempt multiple blocks in succession. Allows players to quickly go back up for another block attempt upon landing.
Post Lockdown – Improves the defender’s ability to defend post moves. Increases the chances of a defender preventing an offensive post move from succeeding.
Rebound Chaser – Improves a player’s ability to chase down rebounds. Improves a player’s ability to track down rebounds from farther distances than normal.
Rim Protector – Improves ability to block shots, gives boost to the Takeover meter for blocker/teammates. Improves player’s ability to block shots, unlocks special block animations.
Tireless Defender – Reduces the energy lost when exerting effort on defense. Allows defenders to play defense more aggressively without losing energy at the same rate as a normal player.
Worm – Allows rebounders to swim or spin around box outs more easily. When boxed out, rebounders have more success swimming around and getting into successful rebound position.
* = New Badge
Let us know what you think of the badges this year and opinions on the new badges as well.