NBA tipoff may still be more than a month away, but hoops fans are already hitting the (virtual) hardwood thanks to the just-released NBA 2K26. For the second year in a row, Yahoo Sports is simulating an entire season and seeing if the premier basketball video game franchise can accurately predict how The Association will play out in 2025-26.
Last year’s simulation was a bit rough — in its defense, could anyone have predicted the league-altering Luka Dončić trade? So there’s really nowhere else to go but up. The parameters of the simulation were the same as last time around: CPU-User trade offers were turned off, default MyEra settings were used, all G-League, prospect scouting and rotational decisions were automated and the random team we used to facilitate the simulation was the Milwaukee Bucks.
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The other wrinkle that there’s no way to account for: the news that broke Wednesday morning regarding the allegations made against the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard. If any severe punishment is dished out by the league after its investigation, the simulation will whiff on one of its biggest predictions. More on this later.
LeBron’s retirement tour
LeBron James has not signaled he’s ready to hang them up, even though NBA 2K26 seems to think so. (2K Games/NBA2K26)
Before I could even begin simulating the actual games, 2K prompted me with a message that LeBron James was planning to retire after the season and asked if I would permit him to go on a retirement tour. We ran into this same situation in last year’s simulation with Chris Paul (who is very much NOT retired), but since we were simming through everything, why not let the greatest player of this generation take his well-deserved victory lap.
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As far as James’ age-41 season played out, he averaged 21.8 points, 4.7 rebounds and 6.5 assists while starting all 82 games. James’ points and rebounds totals would mark the lowest of his career, but he still managed to help lead the Lakers to a 45-37 record and the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
2K loves the Mavericks
For the second year in a row, the 2K sim has major faith in Jason Kidd and the Mavericks. After predicting Dallas would go 63-19 last season, with Jason Kidd taking home Coach of the Year and the Mavericks hoisting the Larry O’Brien Trophy, 2K doubled down and has them finishing 64-18 and Kidd winning COTY again.
The Mavs’ season was driven mainly by a major improvement from Klay Thompson, who shot a career-best 46.3% from 3-point range, and by allowing 108.9 points per game, making Dallas the best defensive team in the league.
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Is it possible Dallas has a monster season in 2025-26? Sure, especially with No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg in the mix, but this outcome easily puts the Mavericks in the category of biggest surprise from the entire simulation.
Flagg surprises no one
Mavs rookie Cooper Flagg is expected to make an immediate impact. (2K Games/NBA2K26)
While we’re on the topic of the Mavericks, it shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone that Flagg — one of the most anticipated NBA prospects in recent memory — walked away with the Rookie of the Year award in our simulation.
Flagg averaged 15.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.2 stocks in 73 games (72 starts) across his rookie campaign, playing a significant role as the third-leading scorer in Dallas and making the All-Rookie First team.
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NBA Cup winner
The Magic topped the Clippers 122-119 in the NBA Cup final, capturing the in-season tournament crown. Newly acquired Desmond Bane was named the NBA Cup MVP, averaging 31.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists in the tournament.
Orlando and Los Angeles meeting in the final would make it six unique final participants since the tournament began in 2023-24.
Everybody beats The Wiz(ards)
Northeast bias aside with this subsection’s pun, Washington’s simulation was nothing to joke about. After finishing 18-64 last season, NBA 2K is predicting a complete bottoming out of the Wizards franchise in 2025-26.
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Washington finished 8-74, beating both the 1972-73 76ers’ mark for worst record (9-73) and the 2011-12 Bobcats’ record for worst winning percentage (.106). The Wizards started the season 0-19 en route to having the league’s worst defense (127.8 points allowed per game) and finishing 31st in PPG (109.3).
Disappointment in Denver
As bad as Washington was, it’s hard to imagine them being a legitimate contender heading into the season. Denver, on the other hand, is seemingly always going to be in the mix as long as Nikola Jokić is healthy and in the conversation as the best basketball player on the planet.
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That’s what made the Nuggets’ 40-42 record — a 10-game drop from last season — so disappointing. Jokić was his usual dominant self, finishing with 30.3 points, 12.8 rebounds and 8.8 assists on the season, but Jamal Murray missed significant time, only playing 37 games in the regular season. Murray did return and score 34 points in the play-in game against Golden State, but the No. 10 seed Nuggets still lost.
The KD Era in Houston begins
Kevin Durant’s first year in Houston was interesting. The Rockets did manage to make the postseason, finishing as the fourth seed in the Western Conference, but the 47-35 record was actually a dip from 2024-25 when they finished No. 2 out West with a 52-30 record.
Durant led the Rockets in scoring, averaging 24.3 points, while adding 4 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. For Durant, who turns 37 before the season begins, the scoring output would mark the second-lowest of his career and the rebound total would be the lowest on his Hall of Fame resume.
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Houston ultimately lost to the Timberwolves in seven games in the first round of the playoffs.
MVP and more
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s remarkable season earned him a second straight MVP award. (2K Games/NBA2K26)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, one of NBA 2K26’s cover athletes, is rated 98 overall, and it was very easy to see why. SGA took home his second consecutive MVP award, averaging an absurd 35.9 points along with 4.3 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 2.1 steals.
To put his scoring average in perspective, the last time an NBA scoring champion finished with a higher average was 1986-87, when Michael Jordan averaged 37.09 points per game. The only other player in NBA history with a higher points per game average is Wilt Chamberlain, who won seven straight scoring titles in the 1960s.
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Other award winners
Defensive Player of the Year — Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
Sixth Man of the Year — Russell Westbrook, Suns (remains unsigned)
Most Improved Player — Ziaire Williams, Nets
Clutch Player of the Year — Devin Booker, Suns
So, who won it all?
The full playoff picture and results from the Yahoo Sports NBA 2K26 simulation. (2K Games/NBA2K26)
Both the Eastern and Western Conference finals went to seven games, with the Knicks managing to oust the Cavaliers and the Clippers overcoming the Mavericks to set up a coastal clash between New York and Los Angeles. Karl-Anthony Towns and James Harden took home their respective Conference Final MVP awards before battling for the league’s top prize.
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In another seven-game thriller, the Knicks were able to defeat the Clippers, capturing the franchise’s first NBA championship since 1973. To make things even sweeter for Knicks fans, Jalen Brunson played the hero in the entire series, including a mammoth 47-point effort in Game 7, earning Bill Russell Finals MVP honors. Across seven games, Brunson averaged 33 points, 2.9 rebounds and 6.9 assists.
While the Knicks enter the season as one of the favorites to come out of the Eastern Conference, the future of the Clippers, as alluded to earlier in this article, is a bit more murky.
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