For NBA 2K23’s next MyCareer story, everyone hates you

polygon.com:

Like Madden NFL 23 did with its Face of the Franchise career, NBA 2K23’s MyCareer mode is just going to cut straight to the chase: You get drafted, directly to the NBA team of your choice, and everything begins with your pro career. As if both sports series this year are answering longtime gripes about grinding out tutorial-level games to get drafted by the same terrible team, there’s no college preamble to NBA 2K23, no up-from-nothing tale reaching back to high school.

The similarities end right there, however. In a preview discussion with games media last week, executive producer Erick Boenisch could barely contain a chortle as he described this year’s backstory: Everyone hates you.

“Everyone in The City,” the hub world that MyCareer shares with other modes, “and all the pundits, everyone wanted [your team] to draft this player named Shep. Shep Owens,” Boenisch said, adding another name to MyCareer’s pantheon of frenemy NPCs. “So instantly, you get on stage, and [NBA Commissioner] Adam Silver’s got to shake your hand and the entire audience is booing. They don’t like you right from the jump.

“They wanted Shep; Shep is the college star, he’s the flashy guy, he’s the athletic guy, he’s the charismatic guy,” Boenisch continued. “And you’ll find that as soon as you go out into The City, the people of The City wanted Shep, too.”

There will be Shep murals on the walls of The City’s buildings; people will be wearing Shep’s clothing labels, too. “So, the major part of the narrative this year is overcoming that adversity of how everyone reacts to you, and winning over the citizens of The City,” Boenisch said.

I gotta admit, I kind of like this angle, and Visual Concepts’ writers and producers have earned my trust that they can