Highlights

• NBA Live 2003 revolutionized the series with its freestyle control system and addictive Franchise Mode, making it a seminal entry.
• ESPN NBA Basketball introduced the game-changing 24/7 mode, allowing players to fully customize their basketball player and compete in tournaments and street games.
• NBA 2K13 brought colorful features like the All-Star Weekend and Shoe Creator, along with improved gameplay and graphics, making it one of the best basketball games ever made.

The 2023-24 NBA season is underway after the Denver Nuggets conquered the league a few months back. Despite the excitement about Victor Wenbenyama coming into the league and a number of massive trades, NBA 2K24 hasn't been able to keep up with the sport. After the latest entry was reviewed bombed and not exactly loved by critics, all fans can do is look back at the times when NBA games were absolute masterpieces. All the way back in 1973, the sport got its first adaptation on the first-ever video game console: the Magnavox Odyssey. Needless to say, both the sport and gaming as a whole have come a long way since then.

Over the course of the last few decades, players have seen the action-packed sport translated into a variety of video game series, from player-specific projects to season chronicles, to more unconventional projects such as NBA Street, which took the game and many of its most iconic players to the street-level of playing for a different vibe. For fans, there are several aspects of the game that need to be covered for an effective, worthwhile game rendition. These vary from a worthwhile season mode to fantasy basketball, to having the wide variety of moves, dunks, tricks, and styles players have exhibited and perfected over time. With all this in mind, there are several games of the legendary NBA that simply dunk on the rest.

Updated on November 11, 2023, by Adrián Tomé López: The latest revision introduces a few more titles to showcase the best NBA games ever made. Despite the league being on the cusp of its popularity, a lot of classic games still rank among the sports' greatest adaptations, even with iconic properties such as the NBA Street and NBA Live series being long gone.

10 NBA Live 2003 Revitalized The Whole Series

Metacritic Rating: 83 (PS2)

The '02 edition of the NBA live series proved to be an unexpectedly seminal entry in the long-running series. Released back when the Nets were still in New Jersey, the cover has the league's then-top point guard Jason Kidd on the cover, and made history when its popular hip hop-centric soundtrack became the first video game soundtrack ever to reach platinum sales status.

The game's seminal status can be traced to it being one of the first releases to unveil a more freestyle control system, allowing faster-paced, less monotonous gameplay on the court. For players at the time, this key gameplay update immediately put this release leagues ahead of any live game to have come before simply because it was more efficient in making room for more tricks and skills from the players depicted in the game.

One of the finest sports games released that year, players also had the addictive fun of the Franchise Mode, which allowed fans to put a team together and develop them over multiple seasons, as well as a more standard Season Mode to enjoy. A key release in the then-ailing franchise, NBA Live 2003, remains influential to this day. The developers also learned from its few mistakes ensuring more varied, colorful commentary became the norm in later editions.

9 ESPN NBA Basketball And Its Iconic 24/7

Metacritic Rating: 89 (PS2)

The fifth NBA 2K game was special for a number of reasons. The most obvious one was the name change, featuring ESPN and removing 2K. But what made this game stand out from the rest was the introduction of a game mode that would change the approach to NBA games to this day. 24/7 allowed players to create their own basketball player, being able to fully customize their physical appearance.

Right after entering the game, a journey across the United States brings the players to compete in tournaments or street pickup games. The opponents vary between NBA stars and streetball players. Games feature different one-time challenges in which the player will be asked to perform a certain way. For example, getting a certain number of dunks. As is a given nowadays, this mode includes an attribute progression that unlocks more animations and accessories. There is also a rank progression in which the player improves his reputation, unlocking events and bosses to challenge in a game.

The gameplay is also excellent, with special emphasis on how it tries to be less arcade and more simulation, making it quite difficult and even frustrating at times. The passing and dribbling was the biggest upgrade from previous entries. Of course, it also has online and local multiplayer, quick play, franchise mode, and the possibility of selecting between playoff matches, regular season, practice, and streetball games. It was a complete game, although its difficulty at the time could have been problematic for players.

8 NBA 2K13 Changed The Franchise's "Vibe"

Metacritic Rating: 90 (PS3)

NBA 2K13 is widely remembered for introducing a handful of colorful features to the franchise. One of its best calling cards was having both the 1992 and 2012 USA Basketball teams. But what this game welcomed that stays to this day is the All-Star Weekend and the Shoe Creator. It was in this game that the fans could first play the Rising Stars Game, the All-Star Game, the Slam Dunk Contest, and the Three-Point Contest.

On the other hand, the Shoe Creator proved to be a massive success. The shoe game has been closely tied to the NBA for a long time, and it was massive for fans to be able to create and customize their shoes in any way they wanted to with all the popular brands at the moment in the league. Combined with one of the greatest soundtracks ever and a considerable graphics improvement, the game just felt entirely different.

Gameplay-wise, the game introduced a massive number of animations, endorsement options for MyCareer, interviews, and a more realistic AI. All these subtle changes kept piling up to become one of the best basketball games ever made, especially for the fans of not only the sport but the NBA culture as well.

7 NBA 2K17 Provided The Best Career And Management Modes Yet At The Time

Metacritic Rating: 90 (PC)

Following on from the universal goodwill surrounding NBA 2K16's League Mode, NBA 2K17 took what had worked in its predecessor and cranked it up a notch. The result was one of the most addictive and expansive takes on team management ever put into a video game.

Along with being able to relocate teams, tack expansion teams on, and potentially even build an unrecognizably new and different league within the game, this 2K release also has one of the series' finest MyCareer Modes. With an effective storyline penned by Creed scriptwriter Aaron Covington and on-point character performances from movie stars such as Michael B. Jordan and Matt Walsh, this game's MyCareer Mode boasts everything players tend to seek out in a story-focused, sports-gaming experience.

Overall, while 2K17 didn't reinvent the wheel, it did spruce up many of the great qualities of its predecessors, providing a flashy, effective look at the thrills and spills of playing ball on the hardwood court. Fans who bought the Legend Edition also got a special cover with Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant front and center, interestingly, this was not the last time a 2K game focused on 'The Black Mamba.'

6 NBA 2K2 Was A Watershed Release In Basketball Gaming

Metacritic Rating: 93 (Dreamcast)

Another game-changing release for the sixth generation of consoles, NBA 2K2 saw the series finally step away from being a Sega exclusive for the Dreamcast console. This move permanently altered the series' trajectory, especially considering the monumental success of consoles such as the PlayStation and Xbox over the years.

NBA 2K2 sported several thrilling new features at the time that have since become the widely expected norm in sports gaming. These included features such as playable legends of the sport from yesteryear such as Larry Bird and Wilt Chamberlain, player-specific abilities, and a wide range of moves on the court. The result was a game that ensured 2K remained at the forefront of basketball gaming to this day. Impressing fans and pundits alike, the game also provided a wide variety of fun game modes to sift through, including exhibition, season, playoffs, and fantasy basketball, which allowed players to form their own teams and play through entire seasons.

Sporting then-Philadelphia 76ers fan favorite Allen Iverson on the cover, the game more than lived up to his action-packed playmaking style on the court. While it might not look like much compared to more modern, advanced installments, the 2K era fully launched here, making it one of the most important releases in NBA gaming history.

5 NBA 2K12, A Historic Game Thanks To Its Historic Teams

Metacritic Rating: 90 (XBOX 360)

Surely the standard was high after NBA 2K11, but 12 managed to deliver yet another masterpiece. It was the first game to feature legends such as Kevin Harlan, Clark Kellogg, Steve Kerr, and Doris Burke as commentators. With this also came the replays, halftime shows, fully customizable camera angles, and stats during games. It really became as close as it gets to a televised NBA game.

The true highlight of this entry was the NBA's Greatest game mode. In this game mode, players could recreate historical moments and play with the likes of the Showtime Lakers or the Bulls' dynasty, among many other teams and basketball legends. Not only that, these teams and players could be used outside this game mode.

The cherry on top was the MyPlayer mode return and the debut of Create a Legend. Similarly to MyPlayer, this mode allowed players to play the entire career of a real player instead of a customizable one.

4 NBA Street Vol.2 Was A Masterclass In Sequel Gaming

Metacritic Rating: 90 (PS2)

The arguable peak of the cult favorite NBA Street series, Vol.2 first hit the stands back in April 2003. Sporting icons of the sport like Michael Jordan and ABA legend Julius Erving on the cover, the Street sequel managed to eclipse its predecessor in just about every conceivable way, being both cutting edge for the time and now retro fun for modern players.

Instead of a typical arena setting, NBA Street lives up to its title by taking players to the world of three-on-three street play. Despite the street-focused habitat, the game boasts all the expected teams and players from the '02-'03 NBA season plus a selection of legendary players from the decades prior. By the standards of the time, the game has an impressively vast array of court moves and all-powerful dunks for players to enjoy utilizing.

Interestingly, the game became a must-have for diehard Michael Jordan fans due to featuring three career iterations of the arguable GOAT, allowing players to team composed entirely of Jordans. EA Sports' unconventional hit provided players with four fun modes of gameplay, including Street School, where players' move-sets could be upgraded. Overall, it was a perfect execution of its concept and a classic game of its time, completely capturing the culture and vibe of streetball like nothing before or since.

3 NBA 2K11 Gave Fans The Ultimate Michael Jordan Experience

Metacritic Rating: 89 (XBOX 360)

When a game puts Michael Jordan on the cover, it's safe to say the developers mean business. The NBA 2K's 2011 entry proved to be an instant fan favorite, boasting slick controls and a variety of specialty modes.

Not only does the sport's greatest-ever shooting guard adorn the cover, but he's also a key part of the gameplay. Players get to re-live many of the highlights of Jordan's lengthy run with the Chicago Bulls thanks to the Jordan Challenge mode. Essentially, for fans of the Jordan era of the NBA, this game is simply a must-have.

Beyond the fun emphasis on 'His Airness', the game also boasts then-better than ever gameplay for the long-running series, quick-paced controls, and a greatly enhanced level of presentation compared to prior games. An absolute blast for NBA fans old and new at the time, the thrilling look at the iconic 'Air Jordan' era, plus 2K's lengthy list of technical improvements, made this a game-changing moment in basketball gaming as the 2010s rolled in.

2 NBA 2K16 Perfected Every Key Area Of 2K Gaming

Metacritic Rating: 87 (PS4)

Cult favorite filmmaker Spike Lee spiced this 2K entry up with his signature style, adding another angle to what has since proven to be 2K's finest effort to date. Sporting the Golden State Warriors' 3-pointer king Steph Curry on the cover, the game also provided fans with alternate covers including Anthony Davis, James Harden, and Michael Jordan.

The spoilt-for-choice nature of the covers is just a taster of the immersive gameplay and modes on offer. The 2015 entry in the series was so expansive, it even included the complete EuroLeague, and was the first to really pioneer and emphasize just how far modes like MyGM could go. Giving players more freedom than ever with their teams, seasons, and trades, the fantasy sports aspect of the game was the best players had ever seen up until that point.

With astonishing graphics and game mechanics for the time, 2K16 was a treat for fans that showed just how different basketball gaming could hit on the eighth generation of consoles. Eight years later, it still remains an effective treat that covers just about every aspect of the sport a player could hope for. The ideal gaming experience.

1 NBA 2K1 Remains One Of The Highest Rated Basketball Game Ever

Metacritic Rating: 93 (Dreamcast)

The degree to which this game changed sports games forever is hard to describe. NBA 2K1 was the most innovative game in the entire franchise, by far. It was the first ever to have online multiplayer, and the first ever to add street basketball, including some of the most famous street courts. It was also the birth of the Association and the General Manager game modes.

It went from an arcade basketball game to a complete simulation basketball game with a variety of deep game modes and a massive difference between the NBA and street style of basketball. The gameplay was essentially the same as its predecessor, but the approach to the game was radically different. It wasn't just about playing. In NBA 2K1, new challenges such as managing a team and building a successful franchise took the spotlight over the most basic aspects of the game.

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