NBA 2K (series)

The NBA 2K series is a series of basketball video games developed and released annually since 1999. The NBA 2K series was exclusive to the Sega Dreamcast when it was first introduced by Sega to address EA Sports's decision to not publish any sports games. The series was originally published by Sega, under the label Sega Sports and is now published by 2K Sports. All of the games in the franchise have been developed by Visual Concepts. Its primary competitor in the marketplace is the NBA Live series from EA Sports.

History

The first four games of the series featured commentary from fictional announcers "Bob Steele" and "Rod West" (voiced by Bay Area sports radio personalities Bob Fitzgerald and Rod Brooks who works at KNBR 680 San Francisco. They also host a radio show called "Fitz and Brooks"), but since NBA 2K3 the game's announcing team has been something of a revolving door, featuring commentary from the likes of Bill Walton, Tom Tolbert, Kevin Frazier, Michele Taffy, and Bob Fitzgerald. The color and play-by-play commentary in NBA 2K6, NBA 2K7, and NBA 2K8 is provided by Kevin Harlan and Kenny Smith, with Craig Sager providing sideline reports. Peter Barto is the PA Announcer. NBA 2K9 features commentary from Kevin Harlan and Clark Kellogg with Cheryl Miller as the sideline reporter on most versions of NBA 2K9 and NBA 2K10. Starting with NBA 2K11, Doris Burke replaces Miller as the sideline reporter on most versions of the game. On most versions of NBA 2K12, Steve Kerr joins Kevin Harlan and Clark Kellogg in the commentary booth. On the PlayStation 2 versions starting with NBA 2K9, no sideline reporter is featured in the game. In 2002 Sega implemented the American television network, ESPN's brand with their Sega Sports video games. The ESPN brand was used for 3 games, with the second game even being renamed ESPN NBA Basketball, until ESPN signed a 15-year deal with EA Sports.

NBA 2K16

NBA 2K16 is a basketball simulation video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K Sports. It is the 17th installment in the NBA 2K franchise and the successor to NBA 2K15. It was released on September 29, 2015 for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 3. A mobile version for Android and iOS was also released on October 14, 2015. There are three different covers for the main game, one featuring Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans, another featuring Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, and the last featuring James Harden of the Houston Rockets. A special edition version of the game was also released; it features Michael Jordan on the cover. Additionally, the French version of NBA 2K16 features Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs as the cover athlete, the German version, Dennis Schröder of the Atlanta Hawks, and the Spanish version, Marc and Pau Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies and Chicago Bulls respectively.

NBA 2K16 simulates the experience of the National Basketball Association. Players play NBA games with real or created players and teams in various game modes, such as MyCareer, MyTeam, and standard games. Players may play regular season NBA games, playoff games, Summer League games, and others. Apart from the NBA, Euroleague teams are also featured, thus simulating the Euroleague. Players may create their own player and take them through a basketball career with the central goal of being the greatest basketball player of all time. The game offers many customization options for the player; the player may customize the physical appearance, attributes, and skill set of any player. Players may also create, build, and customize their own teams. The soundtrack was curated by DJ Premier, DJ Mustard, and DJ Khaled. It consists of 50 different songs.

National Basketball Association

The National Basketball Association (NBA) is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America, and is widely considered to be the premier men's professional basketball league in the world. It has 30 franchised member clubs (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada), and is an active member of USA Basketball (USAB), which is recognized by FIBA (also known as the International Basketball Federation) as the national governing body for basketball in the United States. The NBA is one of the four major North American professional sports leagues. NBA players are the world's best paid sportsmen, by average annual salary per player.

The league was founded in New York City on June 6, 1946, as the Basketball Association of America (BAA). The league adopted the name National Basketball Association on August 3, 1949, after merging with its rival National Basketball League (NBL). The league's several international as well as individual team offices are directed out of its head offices located in the Olympic Tower at 645 Fifth Avenue in New York City. NBA Entertainment and NBA TV studios are directed out of offices located in Secaucus, New Jersey.