We’ve already seen legends grouped together in All-Star teams many times before. For the most part, it isn’t adding anything new to the game, as many of the greatest players in league and individual team history are already licensed.

With that in mind, you can be forgiven for thinking that a concept like the All-Time Teams is NBA 2K taking a step backwards in its historical content. Beginning with the original Jordan Challenge in NBA 2K11, 2K has had a variety of classic teams. After pushing their luck and upsetting the league by including unlockable Legends in the 16-bit versions of NBA Live 96, EA would finally pay tribute to the history of the league – and officially feature Michael Jordan for the first time since NBA Showdown – with the addition of Legends in NBA Live 2000.

NBA Action 94 for the Sega Genesis was one of the first titles to include licensed legends, with teams that were reminiscent of the Decade All-Stars/All-Decade Teams in NBA Live and NBA 2K. Historical content in basketball video games has come a long way. However, All-Time Teams are an important expansion of the retro content in NBA 2K, even if they aren’t as exciting as specific classic teams. As a concept, it’s nothing we haven’t already done with roster mods, going right back to the early days of NBA Live on PC. It’s all too easy to dismiss the All-Time Teams as one of the weaker ideas for bonus squads in NBA 2K, merely combining already-licensed historical players with current stars. Paying for haircuts, a MyPLAYER character who gave up basketball to be a DJ, B-Fresh…in short, NBA 2K18 isn’t one of the series’ strongest releases!Īt the same time, it unveiled a welcome addition to the series’ complement of retro content: the All-Time Teams. It also introduced a new motion system that in the opinion of many NBA 2K gamers – and I’m among them – is inferior to games that came before it. While it wowed gamers when it was unveiled, it’s unfortunately taken the mode in a direction that has less and less relevance to basketball. M圜AREER added The Neighborhood, a concept that has since evolved into The City. In many respects, NBA 2K18 was a turning point for the series. This week, I’m taking a look back at the introduction of the All-Time Teams in NBA 2K.

This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time.

Best 2k19 playnow team