NBA 2K as we know it has become a stalwart of sports games. It’s grown into something more than a game. A popular game of choice among eSports fans, there are plenty of NBA 2K tournaments with huge prizes around the world. Similar to League of Legends betting or betting on CS:GO, you can also bet on NBA 2K matches. It’s really more of a game.
What’s most impressive about the game is how it evolves every year. While many fans believe that nothing ever changes except for 2K improving the sweat on players’ foreheads, the reality is that every iteration of NBA 2K gets better. What started as a shy competitor to the now forgotten NBA Live evolved into a legendary game played around the world.
The Rise of NBA 2K
The first NBA 2K game was released in 1999. At that time, NBA Live dominated the world of gaming. EA also dominated the world of football with its FIFA series. However, NBA 2K wasted no time to make its name known. Its first cover athlete was none other than Sixers legends Allen Iverson. The game used fictional announcers in the beginning, a feature that has later changed. What was most impressive were the realistic movements of the players and the great graphics that gave the rigid NBA Live a run for its money.
A new star was born in 2000 with the release of NBA 2K1. It added new modes including a general manager one that handed players the reins of an NBA organization. It was something unheard of by that point, since NBA Live was focused on classic arcade gameplay. The game’s fanbase grew, and with the third release of NBA 2K2 in 2001, it started expanding to other platforms.
The Evolution Continues
With every new release, NBA 2K kept getting better and better. Allen Iverson remained the cover athlete for the first 3 games. The latest entry by that point, NBA 2K2, introduced legendary players and teams from NBA’s rich past. Among them were Larry Bird, Bill Russell, Dr. J (Julius Erving), and Magic Johnson. The series arrived at the Dreamcast console and set new standards for what an NBA game should look like.
The first PlayStation 3 entry was NBA 2K7. At that time, the series pushed NBA Live out of the market. In 2007, NBA 2K8 landed the final blow to EA’s long-running series after in introduced the Slam Dunk contest and a 23-song licensed soundtrack. The series went online the next year and continued to develop.
In the 2010s, NBA 2K focused more on gameplay and the graphics. The latter are a main highlight of the games, with realistic faces and movements for star players. The game has got so close to the NBA that every year basketball stars are eager to see their 2K ratings and comment on them on Twitter. What’s even more impressive is how the game reflects reality right now. Play an NBA 2K match on your TV and it can easily be confused for a real match.
New Additions Make It More Than an NBA Game
In the past few years, 2K has put in just as much effort in adding new modes as it did in improving the graphics and gameplay. We can safely say that NBA 2K22 is photorealistic. Just take a look at cover athlete’s Luka Doncic face and you’ll see what we mean. The level of detail is insane, and so are the player animations.
The differences between real NBA matches and NBA 2K are almost non-existing. What’s even more impressive is how deep the new modes go. You can run your own NBA organization and even go to Foot Locker to buy your brand-new shoes. It’s an immersive basketball sim that has divided basketball fans, but there’s no question that it’s gotten pretty far away from its roots.
In a good way, of course. We love it when sports games evolve as much as NBA 2K did. To be honest, this is the kind of evolution we’d like to see in many games. While many fans will say otherwise, there’s no question that it’s the driving video game in the sports industry with influence that will probably never fade.