The Dark Matter cards are the best that NBA 2K23 has to offer. They're always ranked at a maximum 99 OVR. In the past few years, it's taken a while for them to get added to the game at all. But this year, the game started out with a few available at release, enticing gamers who like to hunt these options down early.
Most gamers only have the time to go after one or two Dark Matter cards in NBA 2K23 if they don't want to get a second mortgage on their house. So when tracking down the best cards, it's wise to see which ones are truly the best of the best and get those first.
A special thank you to the folks over at 2kdb.net for keeping the database of cards up to date!
3 Tim Duncan
Tim Duncan doesn't just have the best defense/rebound badges, he has every defense/rebounding badge. Each one is at a silver rank or higher, so there is truly no aspect of his defense that can be faulted. Those who drive at the hoop are going to be in for a world of pain when they find out Duncan is in charge of defense on the interior.
His 84 speed at a 6'11" height is unheard of. He'll come crashing down in time to catch up with any slasher. He wraps all this up with some exquisite mid-range and finishing shooting. Unless he goes against another Dark Matter Tim Duncan, he's almost impossible to stop.
2 Julius Erving
Those who think of Dr. J might think of a guy with the best dunk skills the early NBA had ever seen. They're right to think that and his Dark Matter card acknowledges this fact by giving him the best finishing badges available; additionally, every badge related to dunking is Hall of Fame quality.
He's listed primarily as a small forward, but don't be afraid to move him over to shooting guard. He's fantastic from the perimeter as well and his elite playmaking badges as good as a point guard's, so he can trip opponents up from the arc as well.
1 Larry Bird
It's hard to overstate how unbelievable the Larry Bird Dark Matter card is. He's got incredible shooting badges, every one is at Hall of Fame level except for Shot Creator which is at gold. Yet his superior shooting is just the tip of the iceberg.
There are only six badges that Bird doesn't have. Well-rounded only begins to describe his abilities. Use him at small forward or take his substantial 6'9" frame and place him at power forward to get a stretch big on the squad.
NBA 2K23 is available now for PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.