‘NBA 2K26’ Recognizes The Ladies Got Next With MyTEAM, But There Is Still One Thing Missing
Source: 2K Sports / Visual Concepts / NBA 2K26
NBA 2K26 is introducing numerous new features and upgrades. Still, one of them, the addition of WNBA players to MyTEAM, was a long time coming and signals that the popular video game franchise recognizes the ladies have next, but there is still room for improvement.
Ahead of NBA 2K26 launching into early access for owners of the Superstar, and Leave No Doubt Edtions of the game, HHW Gaming spoke with Gameplay Director for Visual Concepts, Mike Wang, at NBA 2K Community Day in San Francisco about what’s new in the video game, including the edition of WNBA players into the MyTEAM mode pairing them for the first time int eh video game with their NBA counterparts adding a new element to gameplay.
They Didn’t Want To Toss WNBA Players Into The Mode Like A Skin
Source: 2K Sports / Visual Concepts / NBA 2K26
We specifically zeroed in on that feature, asking Wang why NBA 2K26 was the perfect vessel to make that move, given that the WNBA has been a playable part of the NBA 2K franchise since its introduction in NBA 2K20 back in 2019.
“It’s something that we’ve wanted also another multi-year project to get them to the game, but we went through it properly. We didn’t want to just toss them in as a skin,” Wang tells HHW Gaming.
“We wanted them to play authentically and trying to figure out and talk through the theoretical of what it would be like to have WNBA players and NBA players on the court playing competitively together. No one really knows the answer to that. So we were wrestling with how that should look and how it should play. And I think we came to a good spot with my team and it’s a great addition. It’s going to be a lot of fun to play with W players.”
The Ladies Who Pick Up The Sticks Competitively Are Still Being Swatted At The Rim
Source: Visual Concepts / 2K / NBA 2K26
The inclusion of WNBA players in MyTEAM is a welcome addition and will undoubtedly be a hit among female gamers. However, there is still one glaring omission: ladies cannot create builds like male players to use in the recently unveiled new version of The City or MyCAREER.
We asked Wang if the addition of WNBA players in MyTEAM is a stepping stone towards female NBA 2K builds becoming a reality. He kept his answer short and sweet, telling us, “We’ll see,” and that “It’s definitely something we’ve been talking about,” which means it is on Wang and NBA 2K developer’s radars.
It is something the 2K Community definitely wants, one post on the NBA 2K reddit reads:
As a female gamer and basketball fan, I would love to see more full representation of women in MyCareer, especially the ability to create a female MyPlayer who can experience everything the male characters can. That means access to Park, Rec, Pro-Am, City activities, and all the core MyCareer events without limitations.
I also think it would be awesome if when we choose a female MyPlayer, it could automatically sync into a full WNBA storyline and path, just like the NBA path does for male characters. Representation matters, and there are so many of us female gamers out here who would love to see this kind of inclusion. Girl basketball players can do just as much, if not more, than the guys, and it’s time the game fully reflected that.
Now, we can’t deny that there has been progress, but we hope Mike Wang and his team continue to push the NBA 2K franchise forward as the WNBA gains more popularity and its fan base continues to grow.
