A tradition unlike any other. NBA 2K video game ratings begin to trickle out this time every year slowly and on schedule; players are not happy about their ratings and aren’t afraid to tell us about it.
This current generation of NBA players is the total opposite of those who preceded them in the 1990s and early 2000s. Imagine Kobe Bryant hopping online to raise a fuss about his player rating on NBA 2K, or NBA Live back in the day. You can say the same for Allen Iverson, Shaquille O’Neal, or any other star player from that era of ballers.
And the era before that, video games weren’t even on their radar. Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley used their downtime to gamble and smoke cigars. Those frequent trips to Las Vegas and Atlantic City weren’t going to book themselves after all.
But that era is long gone, and we’re now in a full-fledged social media era. And since social media doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, this looks to be the new norm for professional athletes. Especially those occupying NBA roster spots.
In NBA 2K22, the top four players all have a rating of 96 in the game. Lebron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry. They’re followed by last season’s MVP, Nikola Jokic, and Joel Embiid, both rated a 95.
Among the players expressing displeasure, ‘the King’ himself chimed in with a few words to show his dissatisfaction.
Trae Young is feeling about as cold as his nickname (Ice Trae) over his NBA 2K rating this year.
And of course, ‘King Twitter fingers’, KD, had to join in on the fun and give his take in a quick snippet video about his rating.
Out of all the players in the game, Durant may have the best argument for being rated a 99. I mean, he is the best player in the association today, right?
Four other players rated 90 or above (so far) in this year’s game. Damian Lillard, Luka Doncic, and James Harden have a 94 rating, while Jayson Tatum comes in at 90.
Anyone playing NBA 2K22 should be happy no matter what their favorite player’s rating is, in my opinion. Michael Jordan didn’t even appear in video games when he played, and ‘His Airness’ was most people’s favorite player in the ’90s.