For a generation of kids who either didn’t grow up watching the NBA in real time or are simply too young, NBA 2K has become the ultimate time machine. Through fantasy modes like MyTEAM and MyNBA Eras, 2K resurrects the architects of the sport itself. 

It’s in 2K’s digital arenas where you can witness Dirk Nowitzki’s fadeaway or Lisa Leslie’s graceful dominance. One minute you’re scrolling through MyTEAM packs, the next you’re dunking over Wilt Chamberlain, threading a Sheryl Swoopes no-look or chasing a chip with Michael Jordan’s Bulls like it’s 1996 all over again. A professor could literally teach a basketball history course and replace textbooks with NBA 2K. That’s been the case for over a decade now.

Let’s take it back to 2K11, indisputably one of the best iterations of the game. They introduced the Jordan Challenge, where gamers were able to recreate 10 of the best moments from Jordan’s career. They brought in all of the legends who MJ played against and practically built a secondary game of NBA history. Erick Boenisch, VP of NBA Development at Visual Concepts (the developer behind NBA 2K), says that really changed the trajectory of the NBA 2K franchise. And every year since, they’ve expanded on their historical database.

Today, Boenisch says that there are thousands of teams in the game. “I really feel like we are an archive of the NBA in some regards, and I’m a diehard NBA historian,” he says. “The average 16-year-old kid today knows the legend [of Jordan], they have the shoes. But they don’t know anything about the man.

“It’s becoming true for Kobe, too,” Boenisch continues. “The younger generation just missed him. So this is a chance to go back, play in his shoes and play with him and against him.”

In the process, 2K cultivates a new kind of fan literacy. Kids who can’t tell you what team, say, Dominique Wilkins played for, can break down his dunk package. Those who weren’t around to witness Diana Taurasi’s rise to become the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer can experience the gravity of her game firsthand.

Ultimately, 2K invites players to live the past. Whether it’s your first time meeting Tracy McGrady or Hakeem Olajuwon, or you’re sliding back into the classics you grew up watching, there’s no shortage of basketball education. NBA 2K is a basketball classroom, and the syllabus is endless.

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