The Association (from 2k16 onwards: MyLeague) is a game mode in the NBA 2K series.
Overview[]
The Association is a realistic game mode in which the player must choose a team and manage the team across multiple NBA seasons over a long period of time, which is 80 years in modern 2k games.
Gameplay[]
The mode allows full customisation of practically everything, league rules (such as salary caps and lottery rules), player contracts and overalls, draft classes, even teams can be edited too, and even award winners can be overwritten (except for Coach of the Year). The main gist of the Gameplay is to manage the team you picked well, of course even when you’re managing the 95-96 bulls you’ll still have issues.
Front office[]
The front office allows you to see your roster, propose a trade, view the draft picks you own and manage your staff. Managing staff is usually important but if your team is a complete dynasty even a complete joke of a staff will lead them to an 82-0 season.
Trivia[]
- The mode is not endless; it will end 80 years after the mode begins. (Though this depends on the game, e.g. in 2K14 the mode only lasts 40 years)
- Before modern 2K games, each season started on the same day of the year (depending on the game in question), which is not the case in the real-world NBA. Modern 2K games have accounted for this, but at the same time it has caused some other issues, such as games being played on Christmas Eve (December 24).
- Before modern 2K games, the All-Star weekend occurred on fixed dates which may not actually form a weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) after the first season; the dates depend on the game in question. Again, modern 2K games have accounted for this issue.
- For some reason, preseason games (which are available in older titles) are no longer available in modern 2K games.
- Before modern 2k games, you could’ve played any game in the playoffs even if your team wasn’t in the playoffs, or in said game or eliminated. This allowed you to do whatever you wanted in the postseason. (If you had the time of course)
- Strangely, the coach of the year award’s function changed, as in newer 2K games it is very easy to win, as all you have to do is have the best record in the league, however in older 2k games, the award seemed to be given out at random, never ever being given to the coach with the best record.
- Force win is a feature that allows you to, well, force a win. It is quite possibly the only way for anyone to go 82-0 without doing some insane stuff.
- Unless the expansion teams were added in the setup, every expansion team added in the mode will automatically be last in the roster screen, regardless of alphabetical order.
- Strangely, even after winning a championship or retiring a jersey number, no banner will be added to the team’s arena. This is probably because there isn’t much of a point in adding them and also because (for jersey retirements) since there can be dozens of last names chosen it would take forever to model retired jersey banners for every team.
- Weirdly enough, staff members with the GM role do exist in this mode, they cannot be signed by the player since they will never agree to be an assistant GM. This is made even weirder by the fact that you can’t even hire GMs in my league.
- It is possible to do a my career in MyLeague by copying a created player to a team, starting as that team and then playing with player lock turned on. There are no grades but there is still a way to upgrade your player via training. This is a good way to play the mode even if it does feel a bit bootleg.