NBA 2K26 Mike Wang Tweets and Discord Messages
NBA 2K26 Shooting News
Q: Will there still be RNG in shooting?
@Beluba on Discord: No. There will be no RNG in shooting. There has always been some element of RNG in every past version of NBA 2K (including 2K24.) NBA 2K26 will be the first version to feature a completely pure green window. On Pro or lower difficulties, you can still make whites, but otherwise it's Green or Miss.
Q: Are there instant greens in NBA 2K26?
@Beluba on Discord: This year, we made the jump shot cellys and shot feedback dynamic based on the quality of the shot. It factors in the shooter's ratings, defensive coverage, and shot timing (or tempo for rhythm shots.) So if you have an Excellent release on a wide open shot with a good shooter, you'll get an insta-green.
Q: Are there different shot meter options?
@Beluba on Discord: All of the Shot Meter options from NBA 2K24 and NBA 2K25 are available to choose from this year, including the new default meter you saw in the Courtside Report video.
Q: Are there any changes to the contest system?
@Beluba on Discord: There have been a number of changes to the contest system logic. We've re-balanced the effectiveness of hands up, no-jump contests, and jumping contests to better reflect how shots are impacted in real life. We're also showing coverage percentages in full Shot Feedback again.
Q: Is there still a high/low risk reward setting?
@Beluba on Discord: No. Shot and Layup Timing Risk-Reward settings have been removed. Everyone will play on the same playing field in NBA 2K26.
Q: Can anyone do a quick catch and shoot or does it have attribute/badge requirements?
@Beluba on Discord: Anyone can perform the Quick Gatch and Shoot mechanic. There are no restrictions.
Q: How does rhythm shooting and button shooting compare?
@Beluba on Discord: The goal was to make both Rhythm and Button shooting viable options with neither having an advantage over the other. But they are very different mechanics so it's not really possible to directly compare them. Some will be much better with the button and some will be much better with the stick. Rhythm Shooting is definitely more rewarding IMO though. :)
Q: Can you only no dip shots with rhythm shooting or can you do it with the button too?
@Beluba on Twitter: Both.
Q: I'm assuming this applies to the all shots feedback too and not just simple?
@Beluba on Twitter: Yes, simple and all shots feedback show up at the same time.
Q: Can we get an explanation on the difference between then and now?
@Beluba on Twitter: The center of the green windows in 2K19 and 24 were pure, but we used RNG on the edges that lerped from 100 to 0%. for 2K26, if you release anywhere inside the window, it will be a make.
Q: Can you explain how the rhythm shooting works? Can I still green a shot with early or late timing?
@Beluba on Discord: Rhythm Shooting is basically all about mastering your shot's unique tempo. There's still an ideal timing point for when to push the Pro Stick, but you don't have to green the timing to make the shot. However, the better you time the release, the more wiggle room you have to match the tempo. The timing of the right stick movement and the speed of the stick throw will also affect how the animation plays out. So if you start the push early or throw the stick fast, you'll see the shooter rush the animation, if you delay your push you'll see the player hold the set point and hang a bit before starting the shooting motion, and if you throw the stick too slowly you'll see a lazier looking follow through. It's great if you need to intentionally rush your shot to beat a close out or low shot clock, but your green tempo window will be much smaller.
Q: Can you cancel out of the new Post Go-To shots?
@Beluba on Discord: For the Post Go-To shots that have a dribble, yes, you can cancel like regular Go-To shots. You can always pump fake and chain to step throughs also.
Q: Will there be a boost for turning the Shot Meter off?
@Beluba on Discord: Turning off the Shot Meter will slightly increase the size of your green window.
Q: Is the size of the green window different for no-dip compared to regular catch and shoots?
@Beluba on Discord: The green window for quick catch and shoot shots are the same as regular shots. It’s possible this could change in the future.
Q: Does this work in the same way for pull up jump shots or learners… so can I basically initiate a pull up, have the defender jump, hang and release on the way down pretty much?
@Beluba on Twitter: Yes. but the longer you hang, the more precise you have to be with your tempo to make the shot. and we put a ceiling on how long you can hold the set point before the shooting motion automatically starts for visual reasons.
Q: My guess… with everything I’ve read and his responses. Only advantage rhythm shooting would have now.. Ability to speed up jumper through the stick based on situations.
@Beluba on Twitter: It’s also really helpful if you have bad internet and unpredictable latency
Q: Can you do the no dip on moving catch and shoot shots as well, or do u have to come to a full stop to initiate the no dip.
@Beluba on Twitter: Just stand still catch & shoot.
Q: Will they have green windows added to the olds?
@Beluba on Twitter: All meters will show the green window except for the dial, arrow, and ring options from 2K25.
Q: Can you do No-Dip Catch and Shoots in team control modes?
@Beluba on Discord: Yes, in team control modes, as soon as you initiate the pass you can do a quick Catch and Shoot by immediately holding L2/LT as you receive the catch.
Q: I’m tellin ya…everytime I try to shoot the middy I go str8 to the paint and dunk or lay the ball up.
@Beluba on Twitter: Make sure your left stick is centered before you hit the shot button. It’s not supposed to happen.
Q: Are free throws green or miss? Is there RNG?
@Beluba on Discord: Free throws on All-Star difficulty and above are green or miss. Pure green window, no RNG.
Q: Does real player % still exist in #NBA2K26?
@Beluba on Twitter: Yes. for offline modes.
Q: With enhanced rhythm shooting, you said that you could change the speed of your jumper by flicking to release the ball faster. How would that work as far as timing? Would we still have to green both timing and tempo or is tempo it's own thing this year?
@Beluba on Twitter: You don't have to green your timing to make a rhythm jumper, you just have to green the tempo (the speed that you move the right stick from one side to the other.) Excellent timing just makes the tempo easier to green.
Q: Is the custom jump shot creator easier to navigate?
Yes! We've added a Search function that lets you quickly find a specific player's base or release. You can also now Favorite animations, making it easy to find your go-to options.
Q: Does height affect the size of your green window? For example, will a 6'8 player have a bigger green window than a 6'10 player when all else is equal?
@Beluba on Discord: Height will not play a factor in the size of the green window on open shots. So if the 6'8 and 6'10 players have the same ratings, they'll have the same sized green window.
@Beluba on Twitter: You know how the ball would sometimes get stuck on the back iron, sit there for a couple seconds, then a magic wind would come along and push it off? the physics team fixed that.
Q: will there be a ball machine in mycourt again? so we can practice the no dip mechanic
@Beluba on Twitter: Yes.
Q: Hand down when Steph got to peak of the shot. Thats open. Please don’t change this contest system.
@Beluba on Twitter: If a defender jumps early and you shoot just as he’s about to land (or just landed), his defensive impact drops considerably even if he’s very close to you.
Q: Is that the case in the paint as well or only on jumpshots?
@Beluba on Twitter: Paint too.
NBA 2K26 General Gameplay Changes
Q: Are there any changes to how Adrenaline Bars work?
@Beluba on Discord: Adrenaline will function very close to what you’re used to from NBA 2K25, but there have been some minor tweaks. For example, if you spam too many escape moves in a short amount of time, it will drain a bar.
Q: Can you use a Quick Protect even without a defender reaching on you? Does it use adrenaline?
@Beluba on Discord: You can use Quick Protect at any time, even if no one’s around, and it does not consume adrenaline.
Q: Are there any changes made to address L2 Dexing?
@Beluba on Discord: We’ve made efforts to reduce the unrealistic motion/cuts that can result from dexing. Attempting to use dexing to cut back and forth repeatedly will consume adrenaline.
Q: If you don't green a rebound can you still get it? What happens when 2 people both green a rebound?
@Beluba on Discord: You can still grab a rebound if you don't green the timing. And if a little player is trying to out rebound a big, excellent timing will often not be enough to secure the board. If the big makes zero effort and just stands there, the little guy will have a better chance with perfect timing though. If 2 players green the rebound timing, the outcome is decided by positioning, ratings, and height. The core mechanics around how rebounding works isn't changing in 2K26. Timing your jump has always been an important aspect of rebounding, the indicator was added just to help players understand how rebounding works.
Q: Do motion styles have an effect on gameplay?
@Beluba on Discord: Yes, motion styles are driven by ProPLAY just like dribble styles, so some styles will naturally be quicker and more explosive than others. For NBA 2K26, we've added ratings gates so you'll need higher attributes to equip the more effective styles.
Q: How fast is game speed compared to previous titles?
@Beluba on Twitter: 10% faster.
Q: Can we start making the height cap < 6’6?
@Beluba on Twitter: Going to loosen the height restriction for J. Williams' layup package, and several others, to under 6'10... and will also do the same for many dribble sigs previously limited to small guards.
NBA 2K26 Dribbling News
Q: Are there any changes to dribbling besides the new controls for Signature Size-Ups?
@Beluba on Discord: Dribbling has changed a lot in NBA 2K26. Branching and chaining moves will generally feel more responsive and you can interrupt more moves than you could in 2K25. We made an effort to make dribbling faster and the inputs more responsive as well. You’ll find some great new content, as well as the return of some old favorites (e.g. Pippen’s behind the back wrap), so I think dribble heads will be able to create some nice highlights this year.
Q: Are there any changes to bursts and changes in direction for ball handlers?
@Beluba on Discord: We spent some time tuning the dribbler’s ability to start, stop, and cut. The speed and tightness of changing directions will vary based on ratings and dribble style.
@Beluba on Twitter: You'll be able to do this by chaining 2 driving btb's together.
Q: GIVE US THE MISDIRECTION BTB BACK You could do so much with it.
@Beluba on Twitter: In #NBA2K26 you can do misdirection BTBs, crosses, tweens and hesis by starting a standing btb, cross, tween, or hesi respectively and then immediately holding Turbo and throwing the right stick in the opposite direction before the first bounce.
Q: Can you bring back the realistic momentum cross over from 2k16 or 2k15 back in nba 2k26 like this? Same speed & smoothness. it promotes realistic players competing with meta cheesers, & it twas a immaculate move to combo with or cook people off a couple moves @Beluba
@Beluba on Twitter: You can momentum cross by flicking Up on the right stick to start a standing in and out and then immediately sprint w/ turbo toward the off hand.
Q: Is it available with any dribble style or is it restricted again?
@Beluba on Twitter: any dribble style but you need 85+ BH for the tier 3 momentum cross. 60-84 for tier 2 which is a little slower. <60 gets a garbage one.
Q: Remember how you could flick up while walking backwards in 19 and get nice retreat size ups…is there anything like that in 26?
@Beluba on Twitter: I can revive these. They'll be on flick up while walking backwards like '19.
@Beluba on Twitter: Another dribbling tip for #NBA2K26. You can vary the speed of your dribble and triple threat moves by how slow or fast you move the right stick. Great for changing pace. It's a feature that's been in 2K for a while but its effects are more noticeable this year.
Q: Can we dribble full court in the mycourt without the camera flipping???
@Beluba on Twitter: Yes.
Q: something you could consider when doing a momentum dribble or misdirection is to make the control either with or without turbo the whole time. Having to flick the right stick and then have to hold turbo and flick the left stick seems really awkward to do?
@Beluba on Twitter: without turbo will give you signature size-ups, with turbo gives you your escape combo moves. the momentums aren't too hard once you get the hang of it and they are supposed to be pretty advanced moves.
Q: when you say “speed and tightness of changing direction will vary based on ratings and dribble style” are the ratings - speed with ball AND ball handle? or just speed with ball? or is one attribute more important than the other. Asking bc I’ve noticed that my 6’6’s and 6’4s from community day dribble faster than my 6’8s and 6’9s did and I’m trying to grasp a better understanding before making my first build.
@Beluba on Twitter: speed w/ ball.
NBA 2K26 Defense Changes
Q: Can we pull the chair when being backed down in the paint?
@Beluba on Discord: Yes, you can pull the chair in the post by tapping CIRCLE/B when the offensive player makes contact with you.
Q: Are there any changes to pluck steals and lane steals?
@Beluba on Discord: On-ball steal targeting and steal animations have been improved to reward defenders who position themselves well and anticipate the dribbler’s moves. The canned “animation pluck steals” have been almost entirely disabled. Pass interceptions have been tuned a bit but are similar in effectiveness to 2K25.
Q: The question that needs to be answered was so frustrating the whole year of 2k25 the offense getting the loose ball ALL THE TIME.
@Beluba on Twitter: ball handlers will be stunned for a moment when they get the ball poked away from them and bigs will play a slight stumble if they're heavily contested/blocked under the rim to give the defense an edge in recovering the 50/50 ball
Q: Did you make any changes to address the LT exploit on 2s, where one player posts up to trap the guard defender and create a free shot?
@Beluba on Twitter: We made the ball extremely vulnerable to steals when posting up far from the rim to mitigate the L2 cheese.
Q: Can someone please ask @beluba what’s the point in high steal this year other than interceptions if pluck animations are pretty much gone?
@Beluba on Twitter: the canned pluck steals are gone but a high steal rating is still important for onball steals and blitzing.
NBA 2K26 Dunks/Layups News
Q: Are there any changes to dunking?
@Beluba on Discord: Yes, holding Turbo and the Pro Stick down is how you meter dunk in NBA 2K26. This will also encourage more flashy dunks, but you can also get flashy dunks on the Shot Button if you’re wide open with no trailing threats. The meter dunk logic has changed a lot and you’ll notice a much bigger green window on open dunks both driving and standing.
Q: How do height/attribute restrictions work for the Custom Layups?
@Beluba on Discord: @Beluba on Discord: Height and rating restrictions are similar to NBA 2K25 for the new custom layup packages. So if you qualified for a specific player’s layup package in NBA 2K25, you’d qualify for all of that player’s individual Normal, Reverse, Quick Scoop, Floater, Euro, Hop step, and Spin packages in 2K26.
Q: Have there been any changes to baseline sensitivity?
@Beluba on Discord: Yes, there was an improvement to address the baseline sensitivity, especially when attempting baseline layups.
Q: Are there any improvements to standing dunks?
@Beluba on Discord: We've reworked the logic for standing dunks to make them more reliable for bigs who aren't too crowded under the rim. We've also retuned standing skill dunks to have (generally) larger green windows to compensate for how fast most of those dunks are.
Q: Will the green window on dunk meters move dynamically based on contest the same way layups do or will it be the same as 2k24 where the green widow was the same size from the start of the dunk meter to the end?
@Beluba on Twitter: The dunk meter green window will adjust dynamically like layups.
Q: Please please please let me equip this animation and be able to do it on command for #Nba2k26 Cradle? Signature? Idc what you label it but label it as Rondo thx @Beluba @itsEvanCC
@Beluba on Twitter: You'll want to equip Jason Williams' Euro (75+ Driving Layup, Height < 6'5)
Q: @Beluba will putback dunk success rate be impacted by the rebound timing mechanic?
@Beluba on Twitter: There's a timing element to putback dunks but they're not directly impacted by the new rebound timing meter.
Q: Will there be a boost for turning the layup meter off?
@Beluba on Discord: Just like turning the shot meter off for shots, meter off will give you a slightly larger green window for layups too.
Q: BRING BACK 360 LAYUPS!!!!
@Beluba on Twitter: check out Ja's spin layup package.
NBA 2K26 Passing News
Q: Since double tapping CIRCLE/B is Wrap Passes now, can you still do flashy passes?
@Beluba on Discord: Flashy passes have been moved to CROSS+CIRCLE (PS5) or A+B (XBX). Self alley-oops are now mapped to SQUARE+TRIANGLE (PS5) or X+Y (XBX).
Q: Are there any other new passing controls?
@Beluba on Discord: Another passing feature added for NBA 2K26 is contextual auto lob passes. With this new Auto Lob to Moving Passes controller setting enabled, pressing the Normal pass button (CROSS or A) or icon passing will throw lob passes to moving receivers in situations where a normal chest pass would be more prone to getting intercepted. Advanced playmakers who only want to throw lobs by pressing TRIANGLE or Y will want to set this option to Disabled in the Controller Settings menu.
NBA 2K26 MyPlayer Builder News
Q: Is the Badges system changing?
After evaluating how the Badge system played out in NBA 2K25, we felt like it hit the mark. The streamlined setup with 40 total Badges gave each one real impact on the court, and we received a lot of positive feedback throughout the year. That Badge system is returning in NBA 2K26. We are doubling down on something that works, rather than changing just for the sake of change (which doesn't always lead to the best outcomes for the health of the game). Our focus in NBA 2K26 is on improving the systems that interact with Badges, like adding more depth to the MyPLAYER Builder than ever before and putting a renewed emphasis on skill-based Gameplay. You can look forward to features like Max +2s and new Badge Perks that boost your Badges beyond their max potential, and the Custom Takeover reward which lets you design your own Takeover from scratch. We've also introduced new ways to improve your builds over time through Build Specialization. The result is more freedom than ever to make each build unique and continue evolving them as you play throughout the year.
Q: Are the Max +2 Badge Perks earned from Build Specialization permanent?
Yes, they are permanent on your account once earned and can be used on any save if the Build Specialization path selected has already progressed to earn the Max+ reward. Remember -- You can pick one Build Specialization per save. If you earn rewards from the Shooting specialization that will only be shared with other saves that also select the Shooting specialization.
Q: Can any attribute be boosted with Custom Takeover?
You can boost any non-physical attribute via Custom Takeover, regardless of your current rating for that attribute.
Q: Are you limited to one Custom Takeover?
Once you have unlocked Custom Takeover, you will receive 4 Custom Takeovers to edit. You can edit each one as you please between games.
Q: Can any attribute be boosted with Custom Takeover?
You can boost any non-physical attribute via Custom Takeover, regardless of your current rating for that attribute.
Q: Can we complete the Build Specialization quests in single player modes?
Build Specialization quests can be completed either in your single player NBA MyCAREER or in multiplayer modes -- the choice is yours!
Q: Can you apply Cap Breakers earned from Build Specialization to any attribute?
Cap Breakers earned via Build Specialization must be applied within the attribute category you specialized in, or applied to a Physicals attribute. For example, if you earn a Shooting Cap Breaker via Build Specialization, you can apply that Cap Breaker only to Three-Point Shot, Mid-Range Shot, Free Throw, Speed, Agility, Strength, or Vertical.
Q: Are there changes to how attributes tie into one another?
Yes, we've made optimizations to ensure the Builder is balanced. Some of the more notable changes are that your Speed With Ball potential cannot be higher than your Speed potential, and raising your Close Shot potential will also raise your Driving Layup potential.
Q: Are the attributes requirements to select each Build Specialization the same for all builds?
The attribute requirements for each of the five Build Specializations remains the same no matter what build you make. Remember, you can choose one speciality per save file!
Q: If you target just 1 attribute with your Custom Takeover, will the attribute boosts be bigger?
The less attributes you target, the bigger the boosts will be. You can target up to 3 attributes with each Custom Takeover.
Q: Does the strength matter for perimeter defense @Beluba? I see a lot of locks going with no strength at all.
@Beluba on Twitter: Yes. it’s used to dictate the probability of stonewalling ball handlers when bodying them up on drives.
NBA 2K26 The City News
Q: Can I earn Crew XP when playing without my Crew?
Yes! You'll earn Crew XP just by playing games in Park, The Theater, The REC, Proving Grounds, or Ante-Up. Every game contributes to your Crew's level progress, helping unlock rewards like custom branded Crew clothing, Cap Breakers, Unlimited Boosts, and more. Playing alongside your Crew will boost how much Crew XP you earn, letting you level up faster together.
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