I was fortunate enough (and, indeed, old enough) to see a number of the NBA’s legends play in person in the ’80s and ’90s. Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Dr. J, and many others passed through Salt Lake City to take on the Jazz when I was a teenager — and I saw them all. I was even in the stands for Michael Jordan’s title-winning jumpshot over Bryon Russell (he pushed off!) in the 1998 NBA Finals. As a result, I have a pretty deep respect — reverence even — for the players who helped shape the NBA. It’s nice, then, to see that a video game developer shares this same level of respect… mostly.
Playing the NBA’s Greatest mode in NBA 2K12, which gathers together 15 of the league’s all-time great players and the complete rosters of more than 30 teams, is a fitting tribute to those basketball gods. Every game is meticulously recreated with era-specific visuals (like a grainy black-and-white presentation for Bill Russell’s 1965 Celtics squad) and commentary that informs and entertains about the legend you’re playing. The rules are altered to fit the period, and players play the way they did at that point in time. It’s almost like a playable museum of NBA history — the kind of thing you’d relish sharing with your friends online. Except that you can’t.
