NBA 2K3

NBA 2K3 is a basketball video game released on October 7, 2002 for the Nintendo GameCube, October 8, 2002 for the PlayStation 2, and October 9, 2002 for the Xbox. It was published by Sega and developed by Visual Concepts. It is a part of the NBA 2K series. Again, like the previous games, Allen Iverson of the Philadelphia 76ers is the cover athlete. This is the last game in the series to be released for GameCube and the fourth installment in the series overall.

Released: 8 October 2002
Platforms: GameCube PlayStation 2 Xbox
Genres: Basketball Simulation Sports
Developers: Visual Concepts
Publishers: —
Series: NBA 2K
Perspective: Third person
Country: United States
Age ratings: ESRB E PEGI 3

About

NBA 2K3 is a 2002 sports video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by Sega for GameCube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

Keywords

basketball
artificial intelligence
instant replay
non-player character
year in the title
national basketball association
commentary
penalties
xbox 360 backwards compatibility

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

NBA 2K3 presents a simulation‑focused style of basketball built around realistic pacing, player behavior, and situational control. The game introduces new mechanics intended to expand on-court options. Players can dive to save balls headed out of bounds by pressing the jump button in specific situations. A double‑crossover mechanic lets ball handlers chain moves to bypass secondary defenders when driving the lane.

Post play includes the ability to fight for position by pushing the analog stick up or down, allowing offensive and defensive players to maneuver for better placement before receiving or contesting passes. Passing now includes chest‑high and bounce‑pass variations, activated by pressing the pass button with different levels of pressure.

Reception

The game received "favorable" reviews on all platforms according to video game review aggregator Metacritic. It was nominated for GameSpot's annual "Best Traditional Sports Game on GameCube" award, but lost to NFL 2K3.