Jaylen Brown and Chet Holmgren reimagine history ahead of NBA 2K27 release

The release of NBA 2K27 is just around the corner.

Ahead of the global launch of 2K’s flagship basketball video game on September 4, talkSPORT were flown out to Los Angeles, California to attend NBA 2K27 Community Day, and get a hands-on experience of the new game before anyone else.

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What separates the 2027 edition – which features Victor Wembanyama, Caitlin Clark and Derrick Rose as its cover athletes – from its previous iterations is the expansive amount of upgrades that have been applied.

The City, MyCAREER, MyTEAM and MyNBA have all undergone huge revamps, whilst the gameplay itself is more advanced than ever, with over 7,000 new animations and a vast number of customization options for players of all levels of ability.

There are also some alterations to shooting mechanics, and AI-controlled teammates, who now defend smarter than ever, while there are still far more badges and tokens up for grabs.

Also, in an NBA 2K first, all game modes within The City are completely co-ed, with players now also able to create a female MyPLAYER.

For games who want to make builds on the go, they can with the use of the all-new companion app NBA 2K HQ, which can then be uploaded directly into their home set-up and shared with friends.

Magic vs Bird vs MJ vs Kobe vs Lebron vs Steph

But one of the most hotly-anticipated additions to the MyCAREER mode is the ability to now build a career in one of five historical eras, including the Magic vs. Bird Era, Jordan Era, Kobe Era, LeBron Era, and Steph Era.

There, players will be able to put their builds to the test against some of the greatest teams the NBA has ever produced, and see if they can change the outcome of history.

The story length features 11 chapters, with the mode twice as long as its previous iteration, with additional features including a co-ip mode, which allows players to hop in and out at any time, while any VC and Seasonal XP accrued will apply to both players.

During the Community Day event held at Intuit Dome – the home of the LA Clippers – talkSPORT had an opportunity to sit down in conversation with one of the newest members of the Philadelphia 76ers in Jaylen Brown.

Fresh off of finding out that all-time great LeBron James would be joining him and Joel Embiid in the City of Brotherly Love, Brown named a couple of moments in NBA history that he wished he could either visit and experience for the first time, or go back and re-live again.

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“I feel like one of the greatest NBA Finals was 2016 – LeBron and Kyrie [Irving] versus Steph [Curry], but I was there for every home game in Golden State, so I got to see all those games up close,” Brown said.

“What else? Maybe some old traditional [LA] Lakers versus [Boston] Celtics. Could have been cool to see. 

“Maybe that 2008 team and being there for that, or maybe the 2010 Lakers playing versus the Celtics, maybe something to that degree or something like that.

talkSPORT also had the opportunity to discuss all things NBA eras with Oklahoma City Thunder star big Chet Holmgren.

Despite being an integral part of the only Thunder team to have ever won a championship, alongside two-time MVP and last year’s NBA 2K26 cover athlete Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren expressed how he’d love to play 2K with what he described as the “OG Thunder team”.

This was, of course, the team that featured the big three of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden, who fell to the Miami Heat super team comprised of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in the 2012 NBA Finals.

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“I feel like there’s a lot that would be exciting to play against just because those are guys that you’ve watched and they’re exciting to watch and it would be just as exciting to compete against them,” Holmgren said.

“I feel like everybody, I’m not too much into the what-ifs, but everybody would love to have played against the [1990s] Bulls, would have loved to play against Kobe in the 2000s, you know what I mean? But there’s a lot, there’s a lot on that list.”

2K is ingrained in basketball culture

For gamers and pro basketball players alike, NBA 2K achieves one major thing year in, year out – being a staple of the culture.

Whether that’s through fashion or music, 2K encapsulates everything about basketball and the NBA.

“2K is a big part of the culture. I grew up playing 2K, me and my friends, and I’ve watched 2K kind of like grow over the years as well,” Brown told reporters.

“I remember the first 2K I played was the one with Ben Wallace on the cover (2K5), which was a long time ago. But to see where it’s at now, it’s pretty cool.

“My favourite memories are staying up, playing against my friends, my older brother and the memories of that – just winning those games, losing some games, Just me and my friends staying up all night playing 2K, like just kids stuff. …

“You win the game, your brother shuts off the whole console, throws the controller. I’ve also broken some controllers,” he adds, laughing.

“I think everyone has similar life stories and 2K shows you how passionate people are about the game itself and how embedded in the culture 2K really is.”