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Jorge Sierra: Ratings on NBA 2K are indeed getting better. We're back at late '00s levels.
So give us a bit of a behind the scenes look if you can. What's the rating system like? How do you guys go about putting together ratings? Ronnie 2K: Yeah, there's 30 some-odd mini ratings and mini attributes that get cooked into a formula, and it's based purely on performance on the court. In some cases, it's based on, like the young guys, right? We don't have a ton of sample information of them playing against other NBA people. So their's can kind of dramatically increase or decrease based on performance as you would expect and then the people that have been in the league for 10 or 15 years. It's a little bit more sticky, right? Like they're rating is kind of what you would expect. LeBron and Steph. I think they're both down one point from last year. People like Giannis and Jokic have stayed about the same. You would expect that, but like somebody like Cade Cunningham, whose in year three or four and missed a good chunk of the early parts in his career just jumped up six points. [Victor Wembanyama] hen we jumped up six points, so there's a lot of people that are going to grow.
The the most controversial ratings list I've seen so far is the mid-range jumpers list. That one, a lot of people seemed to react to it with Nikola Jokic being number one, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander technically being ranked fifth and then Kawhi Leonard not being ranked anywhere in that top ten. Ronnie 2K: Yeah, let me talk about that. I think a lot of people see things in terms of volume or feel and both of those are wrong. What it really is based off of is per-36 or whatever metric that we have that's based on how often they're shooting it and how successful they are shooting it. I saw this example: I think if you look at the three-point list, it's actually even more relevant. You have Isaiah Joe, who's not even a starter on the Thunder, gets about 20 minutes and I think he's 5th on that list or something like that. You're like why and it's because his per-36 numbers are behind only Stephen Curry percentage-wise and in terms of volume, he shoots I think he makes like five every 36 minutes or something like that uh so yeah a lot of it's based on on per-36 as opposed to like pure volume.
After registering 1.2 blocks over 15.6 minutes in his rookie NBA season with the Sixers, Bona got a 91 rating on blocks in NBA2K26. “It’s amazing for me,” Bona commented. “I’ve only been in the NBA for one season, and to get a rating like this after my first year shows how hard I’ve worked. It also shows the trust my team has in me and the opportunity they’ve given me. They’ve given me the chance to do my best. I think this rating is a testament to my hard work for the team. Of course, it’s also a testament to the team’s confidence in me.”
Recently, Ronnie 2k revealed that Anunoby confronted him about his rating of 87 in the newest iteration of the game. “Last night, after dinner at the Wynn, OG comes up to me and talks my ear off for a half an hour… he was going in on ‘I'm an 87. I should be at least a 92.' I'm like wow, OK. But he had real thoughts, real feelings, real things to back up,” said Ronnie, per the Big Podcast with Shaq. “His argument was that we skew offensively more than defensively. I actually don't agree with that. I think we balance it really well.”
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Shaquille O’Neal is tired of seeing Robert Griffin III post about Angel Reese. O’Neal called out Griffin, a former NFL quarterback turned media personality, saying on Bailey Jackson’s “Off the Record” podcast that if Griffin continues “messing with her,” he would punch Griffin in the face. O’Neal’s comments come after Griffin shared a racist edit of Reese’s “NBA 2K26” cover in an attempt to highlight and stop the racist treatment toward Reese. However, Griffin drew backlash for amplifying the image with his message on X on July 10, to his 2.2 million followers. “RGIII, tweet another monkey post about my girl Angel Reese, and I’m gonna punch you in your f—— face. OK? It’s enough. Like, I don’t usually do stuff like this, but just stop it, bro,” O’Neal said Tuesday. “You got your job, you got your podcast, leave my Angel Reese alone. I’m the one calling her and telling her not to respond.”
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Shams Charania: Summer of SGA: MVP award, league scoring title, an NBA championship, Finals MVP, a $285 million super max extension, first signature shoe release ... and now Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will grace the new cover of NBA 2K26, per sources.
The NBA, video game giant Take-Two Interactive and the National Basketball Players Association have agreed in principle to a multiyear extension of their partnership, continuing the NBA 2K video game franchise, while also expanding into new areas. One of those new areas is media and entertainment, with the companies unveiling what they are calling NBA Take-Two Media, which will combine competitive gaming, social and long-form entertainment programming and live events.
“NBA 2K has engaged a new generation of basketball fans in an increasingly digital world,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in a statement. “By expanding our partnership and creating NBA Take-Two Media, we look forward to building on the incredible success of the NBA 2K franchise.”
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One of the first shows to debut from the new company will be a travel series fronted by former NBA all-star Joakim Noah, who will travel around the world to explore how basketball is played in local communities.
Miami Heat star Tyler Herro is known for his sharpshooting on the court, but it turns out he’s developing a reputation as a front-office mastermind—at least in the virtual world. During a live stream with content creators Adin Ross and NEON on the Kick, Herro revealed a unique gaming habit that’s now going viral, he rebuilds every NBA team he plays against in NBA 2K. This candid moment came during a casual conversation streamed to thousands. In a clip shared by user @Vinod_r108 on X, formerly Twitter in response to a post from @Fearbuck, Herro explains that he often plays 2K’s “MyGM” mode after games, using real matchups as his inspiration.
🎭..Rai ji..💪🎭: Tyler Herro tells Adin Ross and NEON that he tries to rebuild every team he plays during the season on NBA 2K 😭
Tyler Herro tells Adin Ross and NEON that he tries to rebuild every team he plays during the season on NBA 2K 😭 pic.twitter.com/32aY3IEPVu
— 💪🎭..Rai ji..💪🎭 (@Vinod_r108) June 13, 2025
A former lottery pick, he found himself out of the NBA six years ago, playing professionally in China without any promise of returning to the league. But he latched on with the Phoenix Suns in 2020 and hasn’t let go since. He survives on vibes. As a rookie, he didn’t appreciate his overall rating in the video game, NBA 2K16. A 72 grade ranked 242nd in the NBA. So Payne solved the problem himself. He created a new player, named the new player Cameron Payne, moved all the sliders up to 99 (the highest rating) and played a season that technically had two Cam Paynes, refusing to acknowledge the lesser avatar. “I gotta give myself some love,” Payne insisted through a smile.
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