NBA 2K25 (& Caitlin Clark)

I almost didn't write a separate post about NBA 2K25 (from here on referred to as 2K25). I follow the Pacers but am a bit fair weather, and I don't really follow the NBA otherwise. Plus, I've already written a recent post about NBA 2K24 and honestly there isn't much difference between the two games. However, there is a feature on both games that I didn't explore on 2K24 which I absolutely love on 2K25 which is called MyNBA Eras. I wanted an opportunity to discuss this feature. Additionally, I have thought about writing a separate post on Caitlin Clark on a few occasions but never did so for various reasons. Caitlin is in 2K25, and I wanted to discuss her and women's basketball in general. So with that preface, let's get into 2K25 and MyNBA Eras.

MyNBA Eras essentially allows you to play a season or franchise as an NBA team in different eras of the game. This is so cool because it plays heavily on nostalgia. Growing up, I remember the NBA on NBC and the rivalries between the Pacers and Knicks vividly. I remember watching Michael Jordan and how dominant he was. This period of time was the height of my NBA fandom, and I feel more attached to those teams and players than I do the current ones. So to be able to play with the Pacers from the 1990s and battle against Patrick Ewing and John Starks of the Knicks is so fun. In addition to having the players, teams, and logos from the era, the game recreates the NBA on NBC theme, complete with the music and appearance of playing the game in low definition on a cathode ray tube TV. The result is instant nostalgic fun.

Caitlin Clark has become the biggest athlete on the planet. That is news by itself, and the fact that she has landed professionally in Indianapolis is huge. We are fortunate to have her playing here on our home team. What makes her such a big story isn't just how good she is at basketball, however. She is a generational athlete who is bigger than the sport she plays. I watched her final two seasons at Iowa, and last year watched every Fever game that I could, and we even went to one game and have tickets to go to another game this season. Prior to Caitlin, I honestly can't remember ever watching a women's basketball game. The numbers don't lie, and they say that I'm not the only one paying attention. Attendance and viewership records were set last season for the WNBA, Caitlin's rookie season. The last athlete that I can remember that had this kind of impact, in terms of drawing real attention to a sport that I didn't previously care about, was Tiger Woods and golf. 

Caitlin is fantastic, but moving onto 2K25, since I now pay attention to the WNBA and Caitlin is in 2K25, I also started a franchise with the Fever. I have no nostalgic attachment to older Fever teams, so being able to play a franchise with them with the modern presentation of the game is a great contrast to playing with the Pacers from the 1990s. I was previously playing 2K24 on Playstation Plus, but unfortunately its tenure on the service was brief. Honestly, I probably would have picked up 2K25 regardless so that I could get Caitlin on the Fever. I was able to pick up 2K25 on a black Friday sale for like $45, which turned out to be a steal.