With the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder evenly matched in the Western Conference playoff finals, Victor Wembanyama seems destined to make the difference, even more so than he already has been. Simply put, the NBA doesn't have anyone else quite like the Frenchman, which also means OKC doesn't really have a ready counter for the power forward/center. Finally, and most importantly, NBA 2K doesn't have anyone 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 NBA 2K games strive to be authentic simulations of the real deal, or at least as accurate as they can be; conversely, Wemby can somehow feel even more intruded upon NBA 2K26 than in the NBA itself. Alternatively, 2K puts authenticity aside and creates a powerless version that looks but doesn't quite play like the Spurs superstar. How can NBA 2K26 balance him for the rest of his run? How come NBA 2K27 manage Wemby? Is there a middle ground? Or should we all accept that Wemby will be the NBA's last boss for the next decade?
Who is that character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Start
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Easy (7.5s) Medium (5.0s) Hard (2.5s) Permadeath (2.5s)
Break reality to avoid an overwhelmed superstar
A new kind of broken
Historically, sports games have featured broken characters, including in the past NBA 2K editions with certain versions of LeBron. In most of these cases, the “OP” element comes down to a single stat like speed or strength, which can be relatively easily fixed in either a patch or the following game. Sure, an argument can 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 legendaries all operate by pretty much the same rules as any 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.
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Wembanyama stands out due to being different in a unique way that tends to cause problems with NBA 2Ks physics. A rim protector usually has to rely on a physics animation to contest a shot (jump, move into position), but Wemby's reach and wingspan are so incredibly long that the engine can mistake his model's actions as races or blocks, even though he hasn't actually done anything. As NBA 2K26 continue to receive updates over the next few months, 2K should use this time to experiment with tweaking Wemby in preparation for the eventual NBA 2K27. The upcoming game can't be designed around one player, but it needs to give Wemby more consideration to ensure he plays like the genuine article, but doesn't break the game.
Somehow Wemby seems to either feel underpowered or broken NBA 2K game.
Why NBA 2K's regular balancing doesn't work with Wembanyama
Another kind of giant
Wemby is hardly the first incredibly tall player to enter the NBA, and 2K traditionally relies on a pretty decent method to balance his 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 punish your lateral quickness, ball handling and perimeter shooting to keep the game fair.
It doesn't really work with Wemby if NBA 2K27 prioritizing authenticity. To be accurate, the game must include the Spurs player's fluid dribbling, quick perimeter closing speed and surprisingly good step-back shooting, a combination that could leave Wemby almost unguarded. It would be quite realistic, but it doesn't sound very funny either.
How has NBA 2K handled Wemby so far?
OK so far, but things will only get harder as Wemby gets better (as he is right now)
Debuting in NBA 2K24Wembanyama quickly became one of the community's favorite players, with quite a few player builds appearing. As for the official version, NBA 2K26 did an OK job of trying to balance him out, as he ended up being one of the best all-around centers while still having enough weaknesses to not be completely godlike. That said, he felt a bit neutered compared to his real-life counterpart.
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The thing is, 2025 Wemby is not the same as 2026 Wemby, as the Spurs player has improved quite a bit over the past year. The 2025-2026 season has been comfortably his best, and NBA 2K26 mirrored his growth as well, which his original 94 rating received several updates before settling on 97which places 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 age 22, and most reach their highest peaks in their late 20s.
But as is usually the case with most players, custom builds are generally more popular anyway, as they allow you to tweak everything to perfection.
Does it really matter?
The MyPLAYER question
NBA 2K26 known for increasing MyPLAYER's max height for custom builders to 7'4″ for MyCAREER, which led to an onslaught of new supergiants that make the official Wemby seem ordinary by comparison. The older rounds set the cap at 7'3″ for online competitive play, in an attempt to balance things out, but that no longer made sense when there was a genuinely taller NBA player. Wemby's existence means allowing the creation of 7'4″ custom characters that can be used in certain 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 i NBA 2K27players will quickly put together their own builds of either the character or complete new creations that are 7'4″ and shoot like Steph Curry. It's just the natural way of things, and 2K shouldn't limit those options either. But even though many people choose alternative builds, the official model still serves as the mechanical baseline for the entire game. the park buildings too.
NBA 2K26
- Released
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September 5, 2025
- ESRB
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Everyone / buys in the game, users interact
- Engine
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Unreal Engine 5
