State Champ Radio NBA 2K
Getty Images / NBA 2K League
The NBA 2K League, the eSports organization tied to the NBA 2K video game franchise, is back—but this time, it’s boasting significant changes.
NBA Take-Two Media announced the relaunch of the NBA 2K League, which will now focus on entertainment and online content.
The new NBA 2K League will highlight creators and NBA players who will battle it out on the sticks throughout the season.
NBA 2K players, don’t worry, you haven’t been forgotten. There will also be an open ladder competition for fans.
Love Hip-Hop Wired? Get more! Join the Hip-Hop Wired Newsletter
We care about your data. See our privacy policy.
NBA players will now be able to be involved in the NBA 2K League because of NBA Take-Two Media’s new multi-year partnership with the National Basketball Players Association.
NBA Take-Two Media, an entertainment company formed earlier this year by the professional basketball league and Take-Two, focuses on eSports and online social content.
Sticking to that focus, you can expect to see various creators throughout the season, including honorary commissioner Jess’ Jesser’ Riedel, a popular sports YouTube creator with over 35 million followers.
The 2K League Will Feature Six Teams
The new season will feature six teams: Boston Celtics, Detroit Pistons, Memphis Grizzlies, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, and Washington Wizards.
Each team will be represented by duos featuring content creators and NBA players who participate in various challenges throughout the year.
The league’s revamp was first teased by the NBA 2K League back in July. The decision to switch things didn’t come without some bad news: a significant number of staff lost their jobs, according to Dexterto.
“With the new 2K League, we’re building an entirely new type of entertainment universe that blends competition with content,” said Andrew Perlmutter, CEO of NBA Take-Two Media.
“Filled with wild, wacky, unpredictable and emotionally resonant moments, we’re extending the immensely popular world of NBA2K beyond competitive gaming and will show fans who their favourite athletes and creators are off the court.”
Lookout For These 2K League Events
The new season of the NBA 2K League will start with a new reality series called MyPlayer Mayhem that will be a combination of competitiveness and entertainment.
You can catch the first episode on November 5 on the NBA 2K League’s YouTube channel, with new episodes dropping every week.
MyPlayer Mayhem will conclude with two live tournaments on Twitch from November 8 to 9th and November 15 to 16th, 2025.
Next Fan Up, the 2K League tournament, begins on November 16 and will offer NBA 2K players who think they are good enough to compete with creators and NBA players.
Those participating in Next Fan Up will have the opportunity to represent an NBA team of their choice by climbing the online ranks through gameplay and social media challenges.
Visual Concepts / 2K / NBA 2K26
According to NBA 2K26, fans of the New York Knicks are in for a season they have been longing for, but will ultimately suffer heartache.
The official 2025-26 NBA season tips off today, but NBA 2K26, which is now the unofficial start to basketball season, has predicted a wide range of outcomes that some fans will appreciate, while others will label it the purest of CAP.
Like with Madden, the folks at 2K decided to use NBA 2K26 to simulate the season to determine who would come out on top.
Unsurprisingly, coming out of the West will be last year’s champs, the Oklahoma City Thunder, who will defeat the Denver Nuggets in seven games in the Western Conference Finals to defend their title in the NBA Finals.
But what should give a lot of New Yorkers hope is that the game also predicted the New York Knicks, who have a new coach in Mike Woodson, will finally get over the Eastern Conference Finals hump, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers in six games to face the Thunder in hopes of delivering the mecca of basketball its first NBA chip since 1973.
But for Knicks fans, their 2025-26 season will end in heartbreak because the OKC Thunder will repeat as champions, with NBA 2K26 cover athlete, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, grabbing NBA Finals MVP honors and repeating as league MVP.
Other 2K Sim Predictions
We are intrigued to see how accurate this prediction is, given that it is based solely on the NBA 2K26 stat model.
2K also used the latest installment in the popular basketball video game franchise to predict this season’s Rookie of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Most Improved Player of the Year, as well as other stats.
You can see those results below.
Rookie of the Year
Defensive Player of the Year
Most Improved Player
All-NBA Teams
HipHopWired Featured Video
Play Company / 2K
Play Company and 2K are partnering to give NBA 2K players another way to take on each other and back up all the trash-talking using a new dedicated tournament system.
The new, groundbreaking multi-year partnership announced last week allows NBA 2K players to win monetary prizes through online tournaments, giving them the ability to truly put their money where their mouth is, if they are as skilled in NBA 2K as they claim to be.
The new tournament system, called Play NBA 2K, will be integrated within The Play Company’s flagship product, Play OS. The deal also makes Play OS the official tournament platform for the game. It will introduce a dedicated menu button in the NBA 2K25 Play Now section for eligible players, allowing them to learn how to gain access to NBA 2K tournaments.
Through Play NBA 2K, players can participate in free-to-enter tournaments and entry-fee-based tournaments, providing NBA 2K fans with even more opportunities to compete in the basketball video game.
“Unlocking the ability for NBA 2K players to earn real cash prizes through competitive play marks a major milestone for us and the industry. We’re incredibly grateful to the team at 2K for helping make this transformative partnership a reality,” said The Play Company CEO, Brandon Pitts.
“2K’s partnership with The Play Company will further expand the ways that we are trying to build engagement and connect with our players,” said 2 K’s head of lifestyle and content marketing Ronnie “Ronnie 2K” Singh. “For us the deal with The Play Company serves as yet another way to quench the thirst of our competitive 2K community,” Singh said.
The service will go live with Play Now and MyTEAM tournaments. Additional tournament formats will be rolling out in the months ahead. Gamers can join Tournaments by downloading the Play OS mobile app on iOS or visiting this website.
NBA 2K Continues To Find Ways To Keep Players Engaged
NBA 2K remains at the forefront, allowing its players to enhance their gameplay experience and earn money. There the NBA 2K League that partners with the NBA, allowing those who are exceptionally good at the game to make a living playing 2K and be treated like actual athletes and there was the players only tournament that took place during the pandemic featuring some the league’s biggest stars who are also good at NBA 2K.
We are intrigued to see how successful this new partnership will be.
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Visual Concepts / NBA 2K24
Visual Concepts and 2K Sports set up NBA 2K24 with the perfect alley-oop pass with NBA 2K23, but sadly, they couldn’t throw it down for the spectacular finish.
Like the Madden NFL video game franchise, Visual Concepts’s NBA 2K video games are in a very unique position, being the only officially licensed basketball video game on the market.
The last time the NBA 2K franchise had to worry about some competition was in 2018, when EA dropped NBA Live 2018, the last time we would see an NBA Live video game on consoles.
The NBA 2K franchise has been a model of consistency and as dominant as the Jordan-led Chicago Bulls, Kobe and Shaq Lakers, and the Golden State Warriors, but as of recently, fans have grown weary of the games.
The biggest complaints as of late are that the games don’t bring any significant improvements and are nothing but rehashes of the games from the previous year with a fresh coat of paint.
It’s the same complaints Madden NFL fans have expressed about those games.
While Madden has taken a knee with its latest games on next-gen consoles, the NBA 2K franchise gave us hope with their first three entries on the PS5 and Xbox Series X. We hoped that would continue with NBA 2K24, and on paper, it seemed we were getting an improvement from 2K23, but sadly that is not the case.
This is a letdown, especially for a game that features the late Kobe Bryant on the cover.
The Mamba Moments Mode Is Fun But Feels Empty At The Same Time
Source: 2K Sports / Visual Concepts / NBA 2K24
There are still many other memorable moments you get to relive in the game, BUT it’s glaring that you can’t relive Kobe’s 81-point performance against the Toronto Raptors.
NBA 2K24 is here (our review is in progress), but to celebrate the arrival of the annual basketball video game, 2K put on a massive celebration in New York City. On Wednesday, September 6, celebs, your favorite Hip-Hop stars, the press, NBA 2K fans, and athletes converged in NYC at the ArtsDistrict Brooklyn to celebrate the launch of NBA 2K24.Those in attendance could experience several activations, including a barbershop, sneaker cleaning station, Brotherhood Deli with NBPA, Def Jam Freestyle Booth, and gaming stations to NBA 2K24 for a spin.Among those in attendance include Ronnie 2K, of course, Hip-Hop stars Swae Lee, Fabolous, A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, Fivio Foreign, Maino, Jadakiss, Jim Jones, and Coi Leray, NBA stars Donovan Mitchell, Cade Cunningham, Tim Hardaway Jr. and, NBA 2K24 cover athlete and NY Liberty all-star guard Sabrina Ionescu and more.As with all NBA 2K launch parties, there has to be a performance to cap off a great night, and it was pretty fitting to have Lil Uzi Vert hit the stage to perform his mega-hit, “Just Wanna Rock,” to usher in NBA 2K24.The celebration didn’t stop there. On Thursday, Ronnie 2K, Swae Lee, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, Cade Cunningham, and professional tennis superstar Frances Tiafoe hit the streets of Times Square NYC to play the first-ever 2K24 game on the big screen to celebrate the franchise’s 25th anniversary.NBA 2K24 is now available on every damn platform you can think of. Keep it locked on Hip-Hop Wired Gaming for our review of the game, and hit the gallery below for more photos from the launch party.
1. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: (L-R) Fabolous, Maino and Jadakiss attend a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) photography,arts culture and entertainment,attending,horizontal,usa,new york city,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event,maino – rapper,jadakiss
2. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Cade Cunningham attends a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) vertical,photography,arts culture and entertainment,attending,usa,new york city,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event,cade cunningham
3. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Fivio Foreign attends a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) photography,arts culture and entertainment,attending,horizontal,usa,new york city,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event
4. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Jim Jones attends a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) vertical,photography,people,one person,arts culture and entertainment,attending,usa,new york city,looking at camera,brooklyn – new york,sport,sunglasses,basketball – sport,event,three quarter length,james jones – basketball player
5. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Coi Leray attends a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) photography,arts culture and entertainment,attending,horizontal,usa,new york city,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event,coi leray
6. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Connie Diiamond attends a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) vertical,photography,arts culture and entertainment,attending,usa,new york city,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event
7. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Key Glock attends a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) photography,arts culture and entertainment,attending,horizontal,usa,new york city,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event
8. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Taylor Rooks attends a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) vertical,photography,arts culture and entertainment,attending,usa,new york city,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event
9. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Lil B attends a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) vertical,photography,arts culture and entertainment,attending,usa,new york city,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event,lil b
10. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: A Boogie Wit da Hoodie attends a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) photography,arts culture and entertainment,attending,horizontal,usa,new york city,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event,a boogie wit da hoodie
11. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Don C attends a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) photography,arts culture and entertainment,attending,horizontal,usa,new york city,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event
12. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Sabrina Ionescu attends a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) photography,arts culture and entertainment,attending,horizontal,usa,new york city,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event,sabrina ionescu
13. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Armani White attends a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) photography,arts culture and entertainment,attending,horizontal,usa,new york city,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event,armani white
14. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Zaytoven attends a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) photography,arts culture and entertainment,attending,horizontal,usa,new york city,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event,zaytoven
15. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Dave East attends a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) photography,arts culture and entertainment,attending,horizontal,usa,new york city,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event,dave east
16. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Jeff Hamilton attends a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) photography,arts culture and entertainment,attending,horizontal,usa,new york city,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event
17. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Tim Hardaway attends a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) photography,arts culture and entertainment,attending,horizontal,usa,new york city,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event,tim hardaway
18. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: (L-R) Nav and Ronnie Singh attend a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) photography,arts culture and entertainment,attending,horizontal,usa,new york city,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event
19. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Lil Uzi Vert performs onstage during a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) photography,arts culture and entertainment,horizontal,usa,new york city,performance,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event,stage – performance space,lil uzi vert
20. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Lil Uzi Vert performs onstage during a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) photography,arts culture and entertainment,horizontal,usa,new york city,performance,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event,stage – performance space,lil uzi vert
21. NBA 2K24 Launch Event
Source:Getty
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK – SEPTEMBER 06: Dave East attends a NBA 2K24 Launch Event on September 06, 2023 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for NBA 2K24 ) photography,arts culture and entertainment,attending,horizontal,usa,new york city,brooklyn – new york,sport,basketball – sport,event,dave east
HipHopWired Featured Video
Source: Visual Concepts / NBA 2K
The NFL is the most popular professional sports league in the United States, but according to a new poll, it can’t claim the crown in the video game space.
Spotted on Variety, Madden NFL has been sacked. It is no longer the pinnacle in sports video games, Visual Concepts NBA 2K is king in the U.S., according to new research conducted by OHgamblers.
Analyzing Google searches and search terms related to the basketball video game, sports gaming experts determined that NBA 2K was the most searched game in 31 states over the past 12 months. Massachusetts, New York, and California top the list for the most NBA 2K-related searches.
This shouldn’t come as no surprise, being how popular NBA 2K has become since arriving in 1999. It quickly became the dominant basketball video game franchise thanks to its stellar presentation, superb gameplay, and realistic graphics, helping it dunk on its direct rival, the NBA Live franchise.
That game hasn’t been seen since the legendary NBA Elite 11 Andrum Bynum glitch.
[embedded content]
It’s Not Easy Being At The Top
It hasn’t been an easy transition dunk for NBA 2K, either. Literally being the only basketball video game on the market and there is no direct competitor to keep the game’s developers on the toes, the product got stale with its passionate community ripping the game that became a cash grab due to microtransactions.
But, as of late, with the arrival of the PS5, and Xbox Series X, developers were able to bring new energy to the game thanks to better technology, making the experience look and feel even better than previous iterations.
We loved NBA 2K23, and in our review, we called the game a marginal improvement from NBA 2K22, which wins by celebrating the NBA’s past, specifically the Jordan years.
Madden NFL has also fallen victim to the curse of offering the “same game” every year, just in shiny new packing with a different cover athlete.
So maybe that contributed to the game losing its popularity. Hell, actual NFL players were on Twitter ripping Madden NFL 23, so hopefully, Madden NFL 24 will be a significant improvement next year.
—
Photo: Visual Concepts / NBA 2K
HipHopWired Radio
Our staff has picked their favorite stations, take a listen…
-
Pages
