Yes, You Can Play as a Female Basketball Star in NBA 2K!
I‘m thrilled to share that recent NBA 2K games have made huge strides in allowing gamers to play as female basketball superstars! Specifically, NBA 2K23 incorporates the WNBA leagues in full and lets you create a custom female MyPlayer to lead through the ranks in the new "The W" career story mode.
As a passionate NBA 2K gamer myself, I‘m pumped to overview all the options for controlling female players across game modes and analyze how the WNBA integration has rapidly evolved over just the last few yearly releases…
The History of WNBA in NBA 2K Series
The journey started with NBA 2K21 next-gen in 2020, which first introduced playable female player creation in the MyPlayer Builder and MyCareer story experience. Though limited, this was an exciting glimpse of the future!
NBA 2K22 then went several steps further by incorporating the full roster of WNBA teams and stars that could be matched up across various game modes. From franchise management in MyNBA to streetball in Blacktop, we could finally pit Candace Parker against LeBron James!
This brings us to the groundbreaking NBA 2K23. The headlining addition is an entire MyCareer story mode called "The W" dedicated to guiding a WNBA prospect through the draft, cementing your superstar status, and battling to become the league MVP.
Check out this gameplay peek at the Draf Lottery event to enter the WNBA in NBA 2K23‘s "The W" mode:
Beyond the career journey, all previous modes with WNBA content return with enhancements like new commentator audio and presentation packages authentically tailored to the women‘s league.
It‘s been awesome witnessing each year build on the last to give the WNBA its due representation. Though we still have a ways to go, let‘s dive deeper into taking these stellar female ballers onto the virtual courts!
Crafting Your WNBA Superstar in "The W"
The premier experience for commanding female players is now the dedicated MyCareer story mode called "The W." Similar to the NBA-focused stories of past years, you‘ll craft every aspect of your rising phenom as they balance off-court drama with hitting the gym and dominating games.
I adored getting to steer my early college years into entering the draft combine and hoping to catch the eye of WNBA coaches. The story is woven naturally with related events like endorsement deal signings, dynamically changing teammate chemistry, and navigating the media.
Check out the following montage I captured during my first season grinding towards the starting spot and playoff contention:
[Embed MyCareer gameplay montage]A key aspect that differs from controlling NBA stars is the sense of constantly needing to prove yourself and change perceptions around the skill level of female ballers. I appreciated these unique social commentary themes mixed realistically into the grind towards stardom.
Beyond just the story, the core on-court gameplay also feels fantastic when commanding your budding WNBA athlete. All the same signature dribbles, dunk packages, and shooting forms are available to craft your dream playstyle. Let‘s explore some top player builds next!
Comparing WNBA Stars and Player Ratings
The full roster of WNBA teams and stars is available across all main game modes. That means you can instantly take control of living legends like Diana Taurasi, prolific scorers like Arike Ogunbowale, or all-around phenoms like A‘ja Wilson right from the opening tipoff.
In terms of player archetype builds, some interesting notes:
- Size is more condensed in the WNBA, so you see less extremes between guards, wings, and bigs
- Attributes like speed and verticality can compete directly with NBA counterparts
- Key skills like outside shooting and playmaking are just as prevalent
Check out how the elite 3-point and dunking stats stack up across top WNBA and NBA players:
Key Shooting and Athletics Ratings
| Player | 3PT Shot | Dunking | Vertical | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Breanna Stewart | A | B | 90 | 80 |
| Kevin Durant | A+ | B | 88 | 75 |
| Brittney Griner | C | B | 85 | 65 |
| Anthony Davis | C | A | 90 | 73 |
As seen above, Breanna Stewart boasts a 3-point shot on par with KD‘s renowned shooting ability, plus tremendous speed and vertical to throw it down. Conversely, bigs like Griner focus less on long-range skills but can still rise up for authoritative slams with elite height and hops.
Let‘s see Stewart‘s sharpshooting and leaping athleticism in action with some MyNBA gameplay:
[Embed Stewart highlights compilation]After testing out numerous WNBA icons like reigning MVP Jonquel Jones and hyper-scorer Arike Ogunbowale, I‘ve been thrilled to experience such diversity in playing styles thanks to balanced attributes catered to women‘s basketball.
Analysis and Hopes for the Future
While NBA 2K23 takes monumental strides, I still believe there‘s room to flesh out the female player experience moving forward. Some personal wishes:
- More customization options for hairstyles and fashion trends prevalent in the WNBA
- Expanded playbooks, coaching schemes, and physics tuned precisely for women‘s basketball
- Having MyCareer stories recognize pioneering female athletes of the past
- Options to compile mixed rosters blending WNBA and NBA stars
Overall though, the gameplay and presentation surrounding WNBA integration has reached an excellent starting point in NBA 2K23. As a passionate basketball gamer, I‘m overjoyed to finally hoop into the action with so many phenomenal female ballers. It opens the doors to inspiring more young girls I know to enjoy virtual hardwood glory too!
Let me know your thoughts on the WNBA‘s integration below, as well as your favorite female ballers to run with in NBA 2K23! I‘m looking forward to hopefully even bigger leaps next year. But for now, I‘ve got a playoff run to focus on with my small forward prodigy!
