The 25 Best "NBA 2K" Teams Of All Time

The rosters you need to beat the best.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Picking the best teams in the history of 2K Sports’ NBA 2K series is no easy task. Not every championship team is necessarily a dominant video game team and while you could put in just about every Bulls team featured in the game since Jordan graced the cover of NBA 2K11, that wouldn’t be very much fun. So what we have here is a mix of all-time great teams from the real world, teams stacked with talent who fell short in the NBA, teams who translate in especially brilliant ways to the digital hardwood, and the particularly bittersweet teams who should have been champs or at least contenders but were hampered by injury or other circumstances. And sometimes they might just be teams dusted with nostalgia for the golden days of the Sega Dreamcast. You probably won’t be surprised by the team in the top spot, but there will be surprises along the way.

A couple Honorable Mentions: The 1986-87 Lakers (passing just isn’t that fun by itself and that’s where Magic really excelled, plus no Kareem Abdul-Jabbar); any Jordan-led Bulls team other than ‘95-’96 (many of them could be here, but that’s no fun); the 1971-72 Lakers (basically the same as the 1970-71 Lakers); the 1964-65 Celtics (their game, again, doesn’t translate brilliantly to video game form).

We know this list of The 25 Best NBA 2K Teams Of All Time will surely spark quite a few arguments so let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.

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25. 2004-05 Seattle Supersonics (ESPN NBA Basketball)

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24. 2006-07 Golden State Warriors (NBA 2K7)

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23. 2006-07 Houston Rockets (NBA 2K7)

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22. 1999-2000 Philadelphia 76ers (NBA 2K)

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21. 1999-00 Toronto Raptors (NBA 2K)

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20. 2007-08 Denver Nuggets (NBA 2K8)

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19. 2008-09 Portland Trail Blazers (NBA 2K9)

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18. 2004-05 Phoenix Suns (ESPN NBA Basketball)

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17. 2002-03 Sacramento Kings (NBA 2K3)

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16. 2011-12 New York Knicks (NBA 2K12)

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15. 2003-04 Lakers (NBA 2K4)

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14. 2012-13 Los Angeles Lakers (NBA 2K13)

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13. 2004-05 Spurs (ESPN NBA 2K5)

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12. 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers (NBA 2K1)

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11. 1994-95 Orlando Magic (NBA 2K13)

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10. 2011-12 Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA 2K12)

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9. 1970-71 Los Angeles Lakers (NBA 2K13)

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8. 2008-09 Boston Celtics (NBA 2K9)

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7. 2012-13 Miami Heat (NBA 2K13)

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6. 1985-86 Celtics (NBA 2K13)

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5. 1995-96 Seattle Sonics (NBA 2K13)

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4. 1990-91 Golden State Warriors (NBA 2K13)

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3. 1995-96 Chicago Bulls (NBA 2K13)

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2. Team USA 2012 (NBA 2K13)

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1. The Dream Team (NBA 2K13)

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