What is it that keeps us hooked on the virtual hardwood? This week, we join the community in sharing the reasons why we play basketball video games, from a love of the sport to bonding experiences to joyful fantasy and escapism. We also pick the three 2000s stars that we'd bring into the modern NBA in their prime, reflect on the NBA Live 18 server shutdown, and answer a question about bad games in another edition of Andrew Asks.

The post NLSC Podcast #554: For the Love of the Video Game appeared first on NLSC.

Past, present, and future are all topics of discussion this week! First of all, we tip things off with a recap of a session of NBA 2K13, using a 1996 roster to take on the Hawks with Shaq and Penny's Magic. Next, we join the community in naming three all-time greats that we'd want to bring into today's NBA. Finally, we and the community choose from a list of hypothetical features that we'd like to see added in NBA 2K26.

The post NLSC Podcast #553: Bringing Three All-Time Greats Into Today’s NBA appeared first on NLSC.

As the 2025 season gets underway, how do we feel about the current state of the NBA? This week, we join the community in sharing our opinions of the league these days, from three-point barrages to zero-tolerance technical fouls. We also discuss the evergreen problem of load management in the wake of a comment from Charles Barkley, along with some other recent issues including WNBA blunders, unwelcome advertising, pushy pop-ups, and a terrible Dwyane Wade statue.

The post NLSC Podcast #552: Our Thoughts On The Current State of the NBA appeared first on NLSC.

Does Gravity Ball belong in NBA 2K25? This week, we join the community in reacting to the new mode for The City that's not only paid downloadable content, but frankly has very little to do with basketball! We also share our thoughts on the gameplay fixes and other updates in the big Season 2 patch for NBA 2K25, and touch on an important issue that's been affecting the modding community for some time now.

The post NLSC Podcast #551: Does Gravity Ball Belong in NBA 2K25? appeared first on NLSC.

If we could get anyone from NBA history in a mo-cap suit, who are the five players we'd choose to perform motion capture for a video game? This week, we join the community in sharing our All-Time Mo-Cap Starting Fives! We also recap a strange session with NBA Live 2000, talk shoes and getting back on the court, and get a little reflective as digital broadcasting milestones and a milestone birthday loom.

The post NLSC Podcast #550: All-Time Mo-Cap Starting Five appeared first on NLSC.

Despite the ease of sharing highlights and connecting with fellow gamers, we've noticed a reluctance to do so nowadays. After discussing the potential causes, we urge the community to actively share their love of basketball gaming, and take an interest in what others are doing on the virtual hardwood. We also pay tribute to Dikembe Mutombo, and join the community in discussing players who are underdone in games, as well as our favourite current and former players.

The post NLSC Podcast #549: Underdone Players & Community Spirit appeared first on NLSC.

Derrick Rose has officially retired, and naturally, we have a few thoughts in the wake of his announcement, including whether or not he should have his jersey retired by the Bulls. This leads us to join the community in reminiscing about some other player retirements that affected us. We also discuss johnz1's upcoming mods for NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, and provide an update on what we and the community are playing in NBA 2K25.

The post NLSC Podcast #548: Memorable Player Retirements & NBA 2K25 Habits appeared first on NLSC.

Although we're still playing NBA 2K25 and have a few updates on what we've been doing in it, we're putting the game on the backburner this week. To that end, we recap a session playing NBA Live 06 PC with a work-in-progress ABA mod, and reflect on the league's legacy and importance in basketball history. We also join the community in reminiscing about fun and weird ideas for fantasy drafts, and memorable transactions during our NBA fandom.

The post NLSC Podcast #547: Memorable Transactions, Fantasy Drafts, & The ABA appeared first on NLSC.

NBA 2K25 has been out for about a couple of weeks now, which means the annual honeymoon phase is drawing to a close. To that end, this week we join the community in following up on our first impressions with a rundown of our key likes and dislikes of the game so far. We also recap a co-op session in which we took on Dwight Howard's Magic with Derrick Rose's Bulls using the LeBron Era rosters, and debut a new segment.

The post NLSC Podcast #546: NBA 2K25, Two Weeks In appeared first on NLSC.

NBA 2K25 is out now, so this week, we join the community in sharing our first impressions of the gameplay! Our time on the sticks has revealed a number of pros and cons, though we'll certainly continue to comment on NBA 2K25 in the coming weeks and months. We also reflect on some of the pre-release footage proving to be misleading, and feeling considerably better about the game once we got our hands on it.

The post NLSC Podcast #545: NBA 2K25 First Impressions appeared first on NLSC.