NBA 2K22 shows off star players while teasing ratings reveal

NBA 2K22 is gearing up to release the player ratings in this year’s games. Over the past week, 2K has been teasing what has become a major event in sports video games by also sharing images of some of the league’s star players within NBA 2K22.

UPDATE: 2K has revealed the best players in NBA 2K22. Check out the ratings!

From Lonzo Ball on the Chicago Bulls to Kemba Walker on the New York Knicks, 2K has shared screenshots of multiple players who will be sporting new threads this season. The images were captured on PlayStation 5.

https://twitter.com/NBA2K/status/1427331634336915457

In addition to these four players, 2K has started the ratings debate by sharing screenshots of some of the league’s superstars. We’ve got cover star Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks, fan-favorite Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry, and Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard.

Presumably all of these players will be atop the player ratings rankings in NBA 2K22. Interestingly, an image of LeBron James has not been shared yet. Has the King given up his mantle as the best-rated player in NBA 2K?

Last year, he was tied with Stephen Curry as the highest rated player in NBA 2K21 with a 97 overall. They were followed by Kevin Durant (96), Giannis Antetokounmpo (96), Kawhi Leonard (96) and Nikola Jokic (96). It’s possible that after a surprising postseason in which Giannis led the Milwaukee Bucks to a championship that the ratings in NBA 2K22 could look quite different.

Meanwhile, Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant has set his own high expectations for his rating in NBA 2K22. He belives he should be rated a 99 overall.

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Although I do agree that Durant is one of the league’s best scorers and a skilled player in all facets of the game, I don’t quite agree with his rating prediction. Plus, NBA 2K rarely hands out 99 overall ratings. As ESPN points out, there have only been a handful of players who held a 99 overall rating while still active in the league. The list includes:

Kevin Garnett was the first in 2001, while Shaquille O’Neal actually topped him with a 100 overall the following year. There has never been a 100 rating since and only four others who have boasted a 99 overall while still playing: Tim Duncan, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Chris Paul.

I don’t see James or Curry making the leap from last year’s ratings and I think a three point jump from his current 96 rating might be too much for Durant. If anything, give the 99 to Giannis for what he accomplished in the postseason.

NBA 2K22 is set to release on September 10, 2021 so it shouldn’t be too much longer before the ratings start to roll in. Who do you think should be the best players in the game?