With the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder being evenly matched throughout the Western Conference playoffs final, Victor Wembanyama seems destined to be the difference-maker, even more so than he has already been. Simply put, the NBA doesn’t have anybody else quite like the Frenchman, which also means OKC doesn’t quite have a ready-made counter for the power forward/center. Finally, and most importantly, NBA 2K doesn’t have anybody else quite like Wemby, especially when it comes to the current roster. Heck, even classic teams don’t just have a 7’4″ giant with an 8 ft wingspan lying around.
2K is caught between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, the NBA 2K games seek to be authentic simulations of the real deal, or at least as accurate as they can be; conversely, Wemby can, somehow, feel even more broken in NBA 2K26 than in the actual NBA. Alternatively, 2K puts authenticity aside and creates a de-powered version that looks but doesn’t really play like the Spurs superstar. How can NBA 2K26 balance him for the rest of its run? How will NBA 2K27 handle Wemby? Is there a middle ground? Or, should we all accept that Wemby will be the NBA’s final boss for the next decade?
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)
Break Reality To Avoid An Overpowered Superstar
A New Type Of Broken
Historically, sports games have featured broken characters, including past NBA 2K releases with some versions of LeBron. In most of those cases, the “OP” element comes down to a single stat like speed or strength, which can be fixed in either a patch or the following game relatively easily. Sure, an argument could be made that the likes of LeBron, Messi, and Wayne Gretzky are “broken” in real life, so their video game counterparts should reflect that fact; however, these legends all operate on essentially the same rules as every other player in their respective games, even if they happen to be better at most things. Developers can balance these OP players while still allowing them to feel like authentic representations.
Best NBA Games, Ranked
Sports games aren’t easy to make, but when they’re good, they’re really good. Here are the best NBA games, ranked by their greatness.
Wembanyama sticks out due to being different in a unique way that tends to cause issues with NBA 2K‘s physics. A rim protector usually has to rely on a physics animation to contest a shot (jumping, moving into position), but Wemby’s reach and wingspan are so incredibly long that the engine can mistake his model’s actions as contests or blocks, even though he hasn’t actually done anything. As NBA 2K26 continues to receive updates for the next few months, 2K should use this time to experiment with tweaking Wemby in preparation for the eventual NBA 2K27. The upcoming game cannot be designed around one player, but it needs to give Wemby way more consideration to ensure that he plays like the genuine article, but doesn’t break the game.
Somehow, Wemby seems to either feel underpowered or broken in the NBA 2K games.
Why NBA 2K’s Usual Balancing Act Doesn’t Work With Wembanyama
A Different Type Of Giant
Wemby is hardly the first incredibly tall player to take part in the NBA, and 2K traditionally depends on a fairly decent method to balance their overpowered physique. NBA 2K relies heavily on a balancing system of player archetypes, along with badges. If you are 7’4″, the engine is designed to penalize your lateral quickness, ball-handling, and perimeter shooting to keep the game fair.
That doesn’t truly work with Wemby if NBA 2K27 prioritizes authenticity. To be accurate, the game needs to include the Spurs player’s fluid dribbling, quick perimeter closing speed, and surprisingly great step-back shooting, a combination that could make Wemby almost unguardable. That would be rather true to life, but it also doesn’t sound particularly fun.
How Has NBA 2K Handled Wemby So Far?
OK So Far, But Things Will Only Get Harder As Wemby Gets Better (Like He Is Doing Right Now)
Debuting in NBA 2K24, Wembanyama quickly became one of the community’s favorite players, with quite a few player builds popping up. When it comes to the official version, NBA 2K26 did an OK job at attempting to balance him, as he ended up being one of the best all-around centers while still having enough weak points to not be completely god-like. That said, he felt a bit neutered compared to his real-life counterpart.
NBA 2K25: Best Dunk Styles
Here are the best dunk styles to use in NBA 2K25.
The thing is, 2025 Wemby is not the same as 2026 Wemby, as the Spurs player improved quite a bit over the last year. The 2025-2026 season has been comfortably his best, and NBA 2K26 reflected his growth as well, as his original 94 rating received multiple updates before settling on 97, putting him squarely among the very, very best players in the game. He probably hasn’t reached his final form either; after all, basketball players rarely peak at the age of 22, with most reaching their highest highs in their late 20s.
However, as tends to be the case with most players, custom builds are generally more popular anyway, as they allow you to fine-tune everything to perfection.
Does It Really Matter?
The MyPLAYER Issue
NBA 2K26 famously increased the MyPLAYER custom builder max height to 7’4″ for MyCAREER, leading to an onslaught of new super giants that make the official Wemby seem ordinary in comparison. The older installments set the cap at 7’3″ for online competitive play, in an attempt to balance things out, but that no longer made sense when a genuinely taller player existed in the NBA. Wemby’s existence means allowing the creation of 7’4″ custom characters that can be used in some online modes.
Offline, you can create a 7’7″ giant if you want, so you shouldn’t have too much trouble countering Wemby if you need to.
Regardless of what 2K decides to do with Wembanyama in NBA 2K27, players will quickly put together their own builds of either the character or complete new creations who are 7’4″ and shoot like Steph Curry. That’s just the natural way of things, and 2K shouldn’t restrict these options either. However, even if many people opt for alternate builds, the official model still serves as the mechanical baseline for the entire game. 2K needs to figure out a physics and stamina system that allows only Wemby to move that way, which could help balance the custom park builds as well.
NBA 2K26
- Released
-
September 5, 2025
- ESRB
-
Everyone / In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Engine
-
Unreal Engine 5
