Last year, NBA 2K23 brought back the “Jordan Challenge” — a popular feature of 2K11 that recreated the greatest moments from Michael Jordan’s storied career. This year, NBA 2K24 is continuing the tradition by honouring the #24 with “Mamba Moments.” Because as was the case in real life, there isn’t a better successor to MJ than Kobe Bean Bryant.
The game will help introduce a new generation of basketball fans to a player who came into the NBA as an 18-year-old, fresh out of high school, before defining the sport for the next 20 years; a ferocious competitor, an exceptionally skilled basketball player, and one hell of a legacy left behind.
This announcement comes a day after what would’ve been Bryant’s 45th birthday — a day that many fans around the world refer to as Kobe Day. Merging together his jersey numbers 8 and 24, the 24th of October celebrates the career of one of the sport’s greatest athletes. What better time to give us a tease of the “Mamba Moments” of NBA 2K24?
RELATED: Why The NBA Should Change Its Logo To Kobe Bryant
Seven “Mamba Moments” will be recreated for NBA 2K24. We’ve already been told what five of them entail, and we’ve got our own guesses for what the last two might be.
So far, the confirmed “Mamba Moments” are as follows:
- The NBA Three-Point Record
In 2003, 24-year-old Kobe Bryant converted 12 of his 18 attempts from three-point range in a game against the Seattle SuperSonics to set the record at the time (and against Ray Allen, no less). - The King of Sac
The time Kobe Byrant scored 48 points and 16 rebounds to close out the series against the Sacramento Kings in a sweep. - 62 Points, Three Quarters
In this 2005 game, the entire Dallas Mavericks team scored 61 points. The Lakers won pretty damn convincingly as you can imagine. - Three-Point Barrage, 65-Point Game
In a road game against Portland, the Black Mamba scored 24 points in the fourth and nine in overtime. In this 14-minute stretch, he scored 33 of these points on 11-13 shooting, including 5-5 from three. One of the best individual performances ever. No question. - 2010 NBA Finals (Game 7)
Maybe not his best statistical performance, but the heart he showed en route to avenging his 2008 loss to the Boston Celtics in a critical Game 7 was undeniable. Back-to-back titles and “one more than Shaq.”
RELATED: Steph Curry Open To ‘The Last Dance’-Style Warriors Documentary
The obvious candidates for the two remaining “Mamba Moments” would probably be his 81-point game (the second most in NBA history), his 60-point retirement game, destroying Spain in the Olympics with the “Redeem Team” in 2008, 61 points at Madison Square Garden, or dropping a “double nickel” (55 points) against the Washington Wizards and Michael Jordan in the last game the pair played against each other.
There are plenty of great “Mamba Moments” to choose from, but those first two we just mentioned seem like pretty safe money. We’ll just have to wait and see what they go for.
NBA 2K24Â is currently scheduled for release on September 8, 2023 for PlayStation 5 and PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, as well as PC. Hit the link below for more information.
