NBA 2k13: My Career Walkthrough [Guide]

NBA 2k13’s My Career mode allows you to build your own rookie from the ground up. This offers players with the chance to create their own legendary careers from being drafted up to the point where they will be earning championships, individual awards, as well as that coveted Hall of Fame spot. Still, for every Lebron James or Kevin Durant, there are some rookies that can be considered busts, and it will be up to you to guide your player towards eventual greatness.

The first step in My Career is to create your player from scratch. Most of the attributes that you can set here are superficial, and you can still edit some qualities as you go on. However, some things that are very important from the get go are your position, physical attributes, and skills, and these are each described in detail below.

The first, and probably the most important, decision that you’re going to be making is your play style. You can define your play style in different ways, like being athletic, being a good shooter, or being a good defender, among others. Choose which facet of the game you would like to excel in, and avoid having a player that is defined as all around, as these are considered as mechanics – good to belong to a team, but does not have the potential to be the franchise player. Of course, these play styles would balance out once you have enough skill points or VCs (virtual currencies) to upgrade your player, but it is recommended that you start with the style that you would like to dominate in and develop around.

The next thing that you would like to decide upon is your position. Do you like to have the ball all of the time? Then choose the guard position. Do you like to have more versatile offensive options? Go for the forward position. Are you to physical type and would like to bump bodies inside the paint? Then the center position is perfect for you. Take note, though, that factors such as a team’s roster depth as well as your position may affect your playing time, especially if there are superstars and veterans with the same position as you currently in their team.

Lastly, your physical attributes such as height and weight would also play a factor on how your character would perform. Being tall would be an advantage if you would like to work inside and crash boards, but it wouldn’t help you a lot if you are thin and are facing bigger and stronger players. Likewise, being stringy can help you with your speed if you are a guard, but taller players will make it hard for you to become a good blocker or rebounder. Thus, all of the three factors listed above should be taken into consideration even before you step in the court.

Once you have finalized your player, you would now be starting with the Rookie Challenge, which would be your opportunity to show off and, hopefully, catch the eye of your desired team. It is recommended that you do some drills to improve on your skills first, and spend any skill points of VCs that you may have to further improve on your character. Don’t invest in items such as new gear or new rituals; rather, put your hard earned skill points towards improving attributes first. Also, don’t spread your skills around, not at first, but maximize one or two specific skills first before moving on to others. That way, you are sure to dominate a specific area while still being able to work on other aspects of your game.

After the Rookie Challenge, you will now be recruited by NBA teams from all over. Being drafted by these teams is a matter of choosing the right, or in some cases, wrong answers to the questions that they would be throwing at you. Choose the answers to impress the teams that you would like to belong in, and be arrogant or obnoxious to those teams that you do not like. That way, you can be pretty much assured of being drafted by your desired team. Again, however, do not expect to be a superstar right away as that depends on your team’s roster depth as well as the things that you are bringing to the table.

So now you’re a certified NBA player, and you would have to work hard in order to get to the top. Once you’re part of the roster, do your best to blend in with the rest of the team. This will earn you more skill points that you can use to further improve your attributes. It is also recommended that you keep in line with your position’s responsibilities, as well as with role within the team. If you are a guard, then maintain good ball rotation, and assert your position in the paint if you are a center. Always hustle and maintain good team dynamics in order to help your team win.

It is also good to do your drills, and although these offer up smaller rewards as compared to previous years, this will also be able to help players perform better in actual competition. Players who go online can also play the Facebook App NBA 2K: My Life which would allow them to earn even more VCs. Make sure that you apply skills at the beginning of each week so that you can apply your improvements and have this make an impact immediately. Once you’ve reached a specific level of play, you can now indulge in some of the other aesthetic enhancements available within the game.

Once you have made some noise in the basketball court, you will also get the chance to talk to your team’s GM. These talks will help you and your team decide on your future within the team, and these would also influence the general direction that the team is taking. Here, you can demand for more playing time, have the starting five altered, or you may even decide that you want to be traded to another team. Players would just have to be ready to face the consequences as well as the reactions of both teammates and fans once news of the details of the talk between you and your GM comes out, however.

From then on, there are other pluses such as interviews, social media accounts, endorsements, and other activities that you can manage and get into. NBA 2K13’s My Career mode offers up the most diverse career management mode yet, and the experience would truly make you feel as if you are a bonafide NBA player starting to plant his roots into the league. Just remember some basic rules – set attributes based on your personal playing style, aim to excel in specific areas rather than going all around, be a good teammate, and invest in earning skill points in VCs – and you’re bound to get into the Hall of Fame once your career is over. Also, don’t forget to have fun as NBA 2k13’s Career Mode takes you on a career changing ride.

NBA 2k13 was developed by Visual Concepts and was published by 2K Sports. It is available for a variety of platforms and was released during the last quarter of 2012 in all territories.