Josiah Cohen

Surely this won’t cause controversy! 

I’ve been mulling over various NBA 2K League superlative articles to write, with ideas varying from foolish to fantastic, and decided to get some ire out of the way early. There’s no objective way, obviously, to define “greatest player in franchise history,” so I’m taking a more subjective approach, but one that nonetheless considers a player’s win percentage and other accolades, total games played, and basic efficiency into the calculus (which, considering my preferences, is heavily biased toward 5v5). Also considered is the vague “what did this player mean to the franchise,” which only works as far as I see it, so that’s what you should quote when you want to accuse me of being biased. 

76ers GC – Radiant (with team: 129 GP, 57% WPCT, 22.4 EFF)

The first team presents an immediate challenge: Radiant or Dre? Statistically, this is an exceptionally close call. Radiant (129 games played, 22.4 PPG, 57% WPCT, one-time MVP candidate) and Dre (130 games played, 22.9 PPG, 58% WPCT, one-time MVP candidate) have eerily similar resumes for a team with remarkable point guard stability. These two were basically traded for each other and account for 99% of PG games in 76ers GC history. In the end, I’m giving the nod to Radiant, who won the Tipoff and its MVP award twice to Dre’s two banners and no MVP; Radiant also took the Sixers to a Finals and probably set the tone for “the Sixers are a great org” more than any other player. Shoutout to Steez, who’s comfortably the franchise leader in games played (169) and total wins (97). 

Blazer5 Gaming – Mama Im Dat Man & OneWildWalnut (114 GP, 61% WPCT, 27.1 / 31.1 EFF)

I’m immediately cheating, but it’s easy to see why. This was the league’s dynamic duo for the first three years, and while this duo only won one playoff series (in 2020, at that), man, you should have seen them. If I had to choose one, I’d pick Mama, because (among other things) I think he had a longer-lasting effect on the B5 psyche—the team was forever chasing his replacement even moreso than Walnut—but it’s a testament to this MVP pairing that they went out together. B5 was never the same after dealing both away before 2021 and never quite had the same draft success as the magic in the bottle that netted these two with the franchise’s first-ever draft picks. I’m gambling that you’ll let me get away with picking two here—please don’t ban me.

Bucks Gaming – JohhnyRed (79 GP, 61% WPCT, 19.2 EFF)

Yes, Dawsix was second. Plondo played 122 games for the franchise, the most, and Arooks (not out of consideration here!) at 109 is the only other player with 100+. Regg is third, with 90, and gave the Bucks their first taste of league-wide relevance in 2020, but that dissipated quickly, and the real relevance arose in the form of an all-time 2022 draft—Cooks, Johhny, Dawsix, and Seese (shoutout Dimez, who was at the heart of the 2022 and 2024 teams). So, why Johhny? The Bucks lifer grew into quite possibly the SG of his era; without him, the Bucks do not win the title in 2022. He hung around, too, earning two all-Defense nods and an all-2nd team nod, and essentially willed the team to the 2023 Western Conference Finals with an incredible stage performance against the T-Wolves (again). All greens, no whites. 

Cavs Legion GC – Godddof2K (132 GP, 39% WPCT, 11.3 EFF)

*Looks around nervously* Yeah, Marcus Glenn. Of course. So… Cavs Legion didn’t win a ton of games all-time. They had the fourth-lowest team WPCT, 42%, in 202 games played. They made the playoffs in 2018 and 2024 and that’s it, and they didn’t win a lot outside of that. Which is cool—the content game was great, the facility was top-notch, and the business was always strong. But that meant a lot of turnover in the roster, with only six players playing more than 50 games for the team and only two—Godddof2K and Strainer—playing more than 61. Strainer, the leading scorer in team history, has a case, but Godddof2K gets it, having played on the 2018 team that made the playoffs and, more importantly, had the highest single-season steal rate en route to winning Defensive Player of the Year in 2019! So… that’s something. 

Celtics Crossover Gaming – Fab (90 GP, 48% WPCT, 26.9 EFF)

This was extraordinarily close to being Leche, who at 35th overall was the greatest pick in franchise history and the PG who led the Celtics further than any PG before him, Fab included. But despite the Fab-Boston relationship ending acrimoniously—it wasn’t great—Fab took this team to the playoffs twice and to tournament finals thrice (consecutively, at that; all losses). He finished as the MVP runner-up in 2019, when the Celtics went on an insane hot streak to even make the playoffs before ousting second-seeded Mavs and rival Dimez. If we’d gotten another season, Leche would almost certainly be here. But Fab had two good seasons to Leche’s one, Fab has the better individual stats, and I’m not docking him enough for a dreadful 2020 season. I don’t know who I’d pick in a fight, but I’m giving this one to Fab.

DUX Infinitos – Killeyy (40 GP, 43% WPCT, 18 EFF)

This was actually pretty easy, because only Killey and Lord Beezus got more than a season with this 2022 expansion team. Also, Killeyy won Finals MVP in the 3v3 Finals in 2023, which was undeniably the high point in franchise history. DUX was too often the home of reclamation projects and uncertainty, but Killeyy at least got the reps. My all-time DUX team: Seem at PG (remember that hot start in 2022?), Killeyy at SG, Warnocks at SF, Mario at PF, and LowkeyGodlike at C, with Killeyy/Warnocks/Lowkey forming a very strong 3v3 squad. I will always maintain that Killeyy carried DUX to the 5v5 playoffs in 2023 in the Ticket, and if he had played well in the playoffs, leveraging a tremendous Vandi effort, DUX could have beat the Bucks in the first round. Oh well.

Gen.G Tigers of Lexington – Gallo (62 GP, 55% WPCT, 20.6 EFF)

You could make a very strong case for FEAST, who’s the franchise leader in games played (93) and also has the slight edge in WPCT and EFF (56% and 24.4, respectively). But I lean Gallo, because he felt like the turning point—Gen.G missed the playoffs its first two years, including one with FEAST, but made them the next two years after trading up to select Gallo first overall. The 5v5 stumble in 2024 is somewhat canceled out by a great 3v3 season that same year. Gen.G was at its most exciting, in tournament play and three playoff series that were better than you remember, with Gallo running the show in a perpetually laid-back fashion. I’m sure we can revisit this conversation when we see whoever the Mavs got out of that trade-back from No. 1 later on.

Grizz Gaming – AuthenticAfrican (152 GP, 43%, 21.7 EFF)

For seven years, the Grizz had perhaps the league’s most unique court, sporting two bear claws looming over each half. Those bear claws may as well have been AuthenticAfrican and Vandi with how much each meant to the franchise, always one of the league’s most family-first programs, from day one to the end. While Vandi might have the statistical edge (47% WPCT and 23.8 EFF edge out AA, in 128 games), I’m giving it to AA for embodying that continued stability as player and coach (never wore another 2KL logo), as well as his flexibility across positions (he played every single one) and having the biggest moment in franchise history. You know it: 84 points in a single game. The Grizz didn’t have a lot of notoriety over time, but that’s a moment that stands the test of time, even if the Grizz’s claws were at their sharpest when AA and Vandi were paired together.

Hawks Talon GC – Ceez (67 GP, 28% WPCT, 22.1 EFF)

The Hawks won just 35% of their 5v5 games all-time, so don’t expect this one to rely on that category too heavily. That being said, Ceez only won 28% of his games with the team. The team’s all-time leader in games played and efficiency, Lee, was a draft pick that probably should have been Slaughter. The next-best statistical case is BP, and it’s not BP. Does MDS have a case? The Hawks didn’t do a whole lot more with him than they did with anyone else. Is it Shotz, who had a great half-season and then netted them BP (don’t ask about the rest of that trade)? Is it Kel? MrStylez, a good mid-season acquisition who has a 42% WPCT with the team? By that token, is it Arkele, who won 12 of 20 starts but didn’t do a whole lot else? I guess it’s Ceez, who at least enabled them to acquire a lottery pick with his tradeaway… which they used on Bait? As Dirk used to quote on the broadcast, “I’m tired, grandpa.” 

Heat Check Gaming – Hotshot (146 GP, 42% WPCT, 31.7 EFF)

We return to eminently solid ground with Hotshot, the prince of nominative determinism and also, luckily, the shot-creating slasher. No one else in Heat history hit 100 GP for the franchise, and no one took them further than Hotshot’s 2018 “Juan Man Army.” Hotshot was a remarkable player who subsequently became the archetypal offense-first center. When it was time to move on, Hotshot garnered the No. 6 pick that became Ky, who was the face of the franchise for the last two years after Hot (also shoutout Dtrick and Sawc who both deserve a spot in this conversation). The Juan Man Army is forever, though, and this typified the best of the league in its early years: a long-lasting pairing of star and team. 

Hornets Venom GT – Crown (93 GP, 51% WPCT, 19.5 EFF)

For a season three expansion team, the Hornets made a lot of noise. They won 40% of the Turn banners available to them, and—well, two Turn banners is damn impressive. While Rigby and AntoineLove earned MVP honors in those two banner wins, it’s Crown who was leading for both, spanning two main eras around the 2022 reload (in which Rigby didn’t play). The Hornets always found ways to retool, but Crown—for whose draft slot the team smartly traded ExposeHim, their first-ever entry draft pick—was there for four noteworthy years featuring an all-rookie team selection, and all-defense selection, and those final years as the king of Charlotte. Don’t ask what his first gamertag choice was.

Jazz Gaming – Ria (177 GP, 58% WPCT, 30 EFF)

Fine, I’ll say the name you wanted me to say—Compete! Er, Splash, but Compete should get a shoutout for critical veteran leadership and being the franchise’s first-ever draft pick. Splash and Ria formed such a lethal Western Conference combo that it’s wrong to mention one without the other, but Ria, the first overall pick in 2019, was there before and after (admittedly with mixed results). Splash has the higher WPCT, with an impressive 67% mark, but Ria’s dominance at center—on both sides of the ball—was the Earth to Splash’s Fire. Personally, I’ve always thought Ria was among the 10 best 2K players to ever touch the league build, and while that waned with his interest in later years, I can think of no player who gave WGS more problems at their peak than the Best from the West. Those Jazz teams, man. Nothing made you want to slam a controller more.

Kings Guard Gaming – Crush (120 GP, 57% WPCT, 12.8 EFF)

The Kings have a lot of one-year wonders: Ant, Bash, Shotz, Mama, Walnut (man, those last three would have made a great team). But this is actually pretty easy. Only three players played more than 80 games for the Kings all-time: Seem, Yusuf_Scarbz (the clear number two in this ranking), and Crush, who set the defensive tone for three somewhat successful years in Sac-town. The 2020 Kings were one of the great defenses of all time, with Crush as their highly drafted (and vaunted) lock, and gave the franchise its only real chance to win a title. Crush probably quickened his own fall down the lock rankings by putting out a video publicizing rotations, but the archetypal rotational lock was also a great shooter for Sacramento in his three years there.

Knicks Gaming – OriginalMalik (204 GP, 49% WPCT, 17.3 EFF)

You knew Leeky was going to slide onto this list. It’s not particularly close, either—while Knicks legends NateKahl and Goofy and Kuda and Stick were all great players, Malik has 80 games on the second-place player (Duck) and 124 on third place (Glo). He’s the all-time leader in threes made, despite not playing all of the league’s seven seasons, and he’s the eighth-leading scorer in league history. The Knicks made a lot of great runs in Malik’s tenure, making two conference finals before going out with more of a whimper than a bang, but Mike Breen would have had plenty of “BANG!” calls for Malik in his starry New York sojourn. 

Lakers Gaming – Krazy (90 GP, 33% WPCT, 27.4 EFF)

The league’s most moribund franchise, the Lakers’ nominee here really should be Seese, the greatest player to have ever played for the franchise and their best draft steal ever. Unfortunately, he went 6-31 as a Lakers, which means he won more Finals games alone than he did games for the purple and gold. So I’ll give it to Krazy, the team’s other most talented draft pick (first overall in 2021). In accordance with their record, this could well have been Tactuk, whose durability (121 GP, most in team history) is praiseworthy. But he only won 34 games, while Krazy won just 4 fewer in 31 fewer games, so it’s Krazy, a much better player statistically who was—when caring and when in the right environment—an excellent center who could win games by himself, a rarity in the league’s later years. And in the league’s early years, too, for Lakers Gaming. Also, Krazy won a 3v3 championship, so that’s something.

Magic Gaming – Unguardable (46 GP, 46% WPCT, 25.4 EFF)

This is a tough one. My first thought was Reid (117/49%/20.5), who won Rookie of the Year in 2019 and led the Magic for three years (along with May and DT) through underperforming backcourt-mates. The 10th-leading scorer in league history’s best year, however, may have come in 2022 with the Sixers and Pacers, and he didn’t make the playoffs until 2024 after a record 172 games of playoff-less 2K. Unguardable, on the other hand, magicked the franchise to its only 5v5 playoff berth after being acquired in a mid-season trade in 2022 and brought it to its highest levels in 3v3 in 2024. Their relative longevity, too, hinges more on season structure (2020 and 2021 saw a lot of 5v5 games played relative to later seasons) and Unguardable certainly passes the eye test. While I still have difficulty wrapping my head around it—Reid was the guy for three years—Unguardable just had more important seasons (2022 playoffs, 2023 top-three offense) and the Magic needed all the wizardry they could get over the years.

Mavs Gaming – Dimez (119 GP, 51% WPCT, 19.2 EFF)

Deep breath. The Mavs made the right pick first overall in 2018. Dimez is comfortably the franchise leader in a lot of statistical categories. He should have been an MVP finalist in 2019, when, at PG, he led the team to a 10-0 start and one of just three playoff appearances in franchise history. There isn’t much of a case to be made elsewhere—can you really argue for two years of Sherm, Pete, or Mo?—but I don’t think anyone would want to. Three and a half years of guard Dimez and he’s still one of the most recognized 2K players in the world—not bad for the lotto-luckiest team in the league. Dimez and Dayfri back-to-back—think of the center talent on that 2018 Mavs roster!

NBL Oz Gaming – Harry (44 GP, 45% WPCT, 14.4 EFF)

Look, there are no wrong answers here. Other correct answers: Jyden, who took NBL to the 3v3 playoffs in 2023 and had an unbelievable 5v5 playoffs; Lawrich, who was stellar in both modes that year as well; Djaytoocold, the breakout poster boy of the 2023 season; and Sick One, his all-2KL First Team companion that year and the rock of the 5v5 defense. But Harry is everything NBL wanted from their expansion slot when they joined: Australian presence in the league, a figurehead at home, and some degree of success (and reaching the finals is an achievement for any guard, no matter what happened when there—Harry wasn’t the first or last guard the WGS defense terrorized). Was he the best player to touch the court? No, but he was pretty good technically, and no one was saving the 2024 Roos. So there are no wrong answers here. Except Ceez.

NetsGC – Choc (93 GP, 51% WPCT, 28.8 EFF)

Were you not entertained? It’s Choc, and it’s not really close, although Greens getting to succeed for a year in 3v3 helped his not-inconsequential case. But Choc took this team to a conference finals and is one of the most statistically dominant players in league history. How he only earned a lone MVP finalist nod in two dynamic years is beyond me—the shades alone should have netted at least *something* more. Greens was also an MVP finalist, and a clear Rookie of the Year at that, but everyone knows I’m a sucker for playoff success, and Choc simply had far more (but yes, Greens did hit one of the greatest shots of all time). If even his AI could have stayed in Brooklyn, who knows what could have been. 

Pacers Gaming – Wolf (146 GP, 44% WPCT, 12.4 EFF)

Wolf played over 100 games more for this franchise than 630 (an extremely talented player), so I don’t think there’s much argument unless you want to plead for Swizurk, the 2K League zombie. Wolf WAS the Pacers for so long, even if he needed talented helpers—Ramo in 2019, 630 in 2021, Vandi in 3s in 2022—to get his team to the next level. He’s another guy who was so good before the league that it was tough for him to live up to it once it came around, but as a franchise player few were as steady as Wolf and the Pacers. Put it this way: without Wolf, I don’t think the 2K League lands in Indy in 2022 (which would have been great for me personally, but it was cool in hindsight). So stop yelling at him about 2K25, please.

Pistons GT – Ramo (157 GP, 46% WPCT, 26.3 EFF)

Let me block Ant real quick before posting this… ok, good to go. No, obviously, Ant is probably the most successful player to ever fire the Pistons’ engines (3v3 title in 2022 and finals in 2023, two playoff-bound years of five out, one MVP nod in 2023). Diehards will remember Radiant’s MVP-caliber campaign in 2021 that revived the team after two absolutely dreadful years. But it has to be Ramo, who has all the franchise records and acclaim for five years of service and an MVP finalist nod of his own as well as that glorious (well, 3v3-glorious) 3v3 Finals MVP in 2022. He carried a bad Pistons team to the playoffs in the inaugural season and he hung in for two more postseason stops even as the great early stars faded. Ramo was on the court for 82% of all Pistons’ 5v5 wins. Let’s get it. 

Raptors Uprising GC – Kenny Got Work (159 GP, 56% WPCT, 24.6 EFF)

I don’t think anyone can fight me on this one. Kenny was the face of the franchise for five years, on and off the court. Did he do anything notable while he was there? Why yes, yes he did: he had quite possibly the greatest season of all time, winning league MVP, two banners and their MVP awards, and going an unprecedented 52-8 (some call it undefeated) in 2020. He also shot about 5000% from the field that season and almost won Defensive Player of the Year at point guard. The Raptors got a first-round pick back for him when they moved on, and things ended rather nicely for Kenny too (*evil WGS laugh*). 

T-Wolves Gaming – BearDaBeast (207 GP, 63% WPCT, 22.9 EFF)

It’s supremely easy from the Raptors to the end. Bear is on the all-time Mount Rushmore of 2KL success stories and player recognition, and he had a damn good career on the court too. A champion in his rookie year, no one made five out fashionable quite like Bear, who was wily and charismatic all the way to the end, even if his playoff success dwindled in later years in the brutal (read: the superior) Western Conference. The Tipoff-Wolves were also the Team Content-Wolves, and Bear was the perfect face for both the team and the league. There’s not really much to discuss here; the T-Wolves should be grateful they let him in. 

Warriors Gaming Squad – CB13 (210 GP, 70% WPCT, 22.7 EFF)

No player played more games for a single franchise than CB13, the greatest point guard of all time. No player, too, won every possible MVP award, as CB13 did with a four-MVP sweep in a climactic and cathartic 2024 season (game over, league over). Drafted 10th overall in 2019, with a pick acquired from Lakers Gaming for Vert, Captain Kina set the tone for WGS and never missed the playoffs in six seasons, becoming the clear-cut playoff record-holder in many statistical categories (such as important ones like points and wins). No other player in league history has as many banners, titles, and accolades combined, and no player in league history won his team more money. As Warriors Gaming Squad GM Rustin Lee once told me, “[CB13] is a Warrior for life,” and so he was. 

Wizards District Gaming – Dayfri (160 GP, 69% WPCT, 27.9 EFF)

The Wizards’ three-year run from 2020 to 2022, when they made three straight finals, ranks as the second-best run in league history, but Dayfri’s individual run in that span may well rank first. He was an MVP finalist in both 2020 and 2021 before finally taking home the award—as well as the DPOY trophy—in 2022, distanced at last from the stellar guard play of JBM. Three consecutive all-2KL First Teams as well as a Finals MVP bolster the case, as do his stellar stats as well as his impressive 3v3 campaign in his final season with the Wiz; not bad for a guy once traded straight up for the 14th overall pick. It’s impossible to tell the story of the 2KL without Dayfri and the Wizards, and it wouldn’t be worth trying: he meant that much to the league.

I think the most difficult teams to select in this piece were the Grizz, 76ers, Gen.G, and Magic; it’s nice to have great players from which to choose. I halfheartedly apologize to the players I didn’t choose here (and wholeheartedly doubt I truly slighted many). There were a lot of great players in a league that became known a lot for its trades, making it hard to maintain consistency and establish franchise culture. Important players like Seese, Kai, Newdini, Bread, Splash, and JBM and many others deserve plenty more attention, but we’ll have to save that for another piece.