NBA 2K21 PS5, Xbox Series X Update Improved Player Likenesses

An update for NBA 2K21 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S is now live and it makes some visual changes, particularly regarding players and teams. The patch notes are outlined below.

Several teams have had their City uniforms updated, including the Boston Celtics, Cleveland Cavaliers, Denver Nuggets, and Los Angeles Clippers. Players on those teams, like the Celtics' Kemba Walker and Clippers' Paul George, have had their likenesses updated as well to bring them more in line with their real-life counterparts. Other players have improved signature facial animations, though it's unclear which players this applies to. There are also updates for the Toronto Raptors' logo and City courts for teams like the Nuggets and Philadelphia 76ers.

Along with updates to the City for various teams is a holiday makeover. The City in NBA 2K21 will be decked out in Christmas accouterments starting December 15.

One notable change made to NBA 2K21 on next-gen consoles is the size of the "green release" window. When shooting while being heavily contested, the window has been decreased. This difference will make those already tough shots even tougher to sink.

This third update also packages fixes for various gameplay issues, including problems with settings occasionally resetting after entering and leaving the menu during a game. Other fixes include stabilizing MyNBA Online, ironing out random hangs during the lottery in MyWNBA and The W, and addressing issues with collision detection in Pro-Aam games. There are also a "number of under-the-hood support items" added in preparation for MyTeam Seasons.

NBA 2K21 Update 3 Patch Notes

General

• Court floor updates have been made for:
  • Philadelphia 76ers Primary
  • Philadelphia 76ers City Court
  • Utah Jazz City Court
  • Brooklyn Nets City Court
  • Denver Nuggets Statement Court
  • Denver Nuggets City Court

• Uniform updates have been made for the following teams:
  • Philadelphia 76ers (updated City uniform)
  • Chicago Bulls (updated City uniform)
  • New York Knicks (updated City uniform)
  • Cleveland Cavaliers (updated City uniform)
  • New Orleans Pelicans (updated sponsor logo)
  • Los Angeles Clippers (updated sponsor logo)
  • Boston Celtics (updated sponsor logo)
  • Brooklyn Nets (updated sponsor logo)
  • Denver Nuggets (updated sponsor logo)
  • Los Angeles Lakers (updated sponsor logo)
  • Washington Wizards (updated sponsor logo)

• The following players have received likeness and/or signature facial animation updates:
  • Paul George
  • DeMar DeRozan
  • Bradley Beal
  • Kemba Walker
  • Draymond Green
  • Rudy Gobert
  • Ben Simmons
  • Hassan Whiteside
  • Robin Lopez
  • Steven Adams
  • Isaac Okoro
  • Kelly Oubre Jr.
  • Cassius Stanley
  • Richaun Holmes
  • Precious Achiuwa
  • Josh Green
  • Aaron Nesmith
  • Tariq Owens
  • Edmond Sumner
  • Jalen Smith
  • Kira Lewis Jr.
  • Saddiq Bey
  • Steve Novak
  • Kelenna Azubuike
  • Devin Vassell
  • Chimezie Metu
  • Alen Smailagic
  • Naz Reid
  • Zylan Cheatham
• The primary logo for the Toronto Raptors has been updated to reflect the latest design
• Corrected a lighting issue in the historic Amway Center (Orlando Magic) arena
• Addressed an issue with shorts displaying incorrectly in certain situations for classic teams
• Resolved a rare hang when importing a face scan via the MyNBA2K app

Gameplay

• Tightened up charge and block collision animations to prevent unwanted sliding
• CPU defenders will now properly recognize the direction of a screen even after it has been flipped
• Smaller "green release" windows on heavily contested shots
• Fixed an issue with double-teams that was being used as an exploit
• Adjusted breakout time of in-game emotes to prevent unrealistic movement
• Corrected an issue with play graphics where the line for the pass would begin at MyPlayer, even if they did not have the ball
• Resolved an issue with certain settings sometimes getting reset when entering and exiting the menu when in a game
• You are now able to change the Tempo and Rebound settings when you toggle the ACE manager ON/OFF
• Players will no longer be able to move unrealistically while defending inbound passes during Garage Hoops games

The City

• The City is being decked out for the holidays! Coming Tuesday at 8AM PST!
• Continued optimization and refinements to performance in the City
• Various improvements and enhancements to buildings/objects/landscapes/lighting in the City
• Further improvements have been made to invites and joining friends in the City
• Streamlined the process of entering a store when you have a ball or vehicle equipped
• The try-on feature should now properly work for the various standalone stores throughout the City
• The Rep multiplier will now correctly appear in the postgame recap
• Corrected an issue where the VC balance would not update immediately upon earning in various City events
• Continued enhancements to the Puma Mania, Mobil 1, Kia Challenge, and Wacky Wednesday events
• Fixed an issue in the postgame recap where the overall rating was not correctly showing the tenths of a point (it would appear stuck at 99.0)
• Addressed user-reported issues with Garage Hoops games and related flow
• Added collision to the baskets in Warehouse Challenge games for players running underneath
• Resolved an issue where the timer/counter would sometimes not track during workouts in the Gatorade Training Facility
• Corrected some visual issues when using the subway
• You are no longer able to enter and purchase items at stores for Affiliations you do not belong to

Pro-Am/The Rec

• New Holiday uniforms have been added for Pro-Am games
• Updated uniforms have been added for Rec Center games
• Resolved user-reported issues with private matchmaking for Pro-Am Team games
• Improved the ability of CPU players used as fill-ins for Pro-Am Walk-On games
• Addressed an issue with invisible collision under the hoop in Pro-Am games
• Addressed tracking issues with stats during games in the Rec Center
• Resolved a hang that could occur in Pro-Am when editing the uniform while other players on the team were still in a game

MyCAREER

• Continued improvements to arena personnel positioning and behavior during postgame events, particularly in relation to on-court interviews
• Your MyPlayer's body type will now properly be kept individually per save
• Addressed an issue with the saved camera setting being reset after the pregame shootaround in MyCAREER games
• You can now skip through the animation of your MyPlayer walking back to the bench after being subbed out
• Resolved a rare issue where newly applied tattoos could disappear when changing your MyPlayer's appearance
• Fixed a rare hang that could occur in the Jump Shot Creator menu when customizing your shot
• Fixed an issue where your difficulty could be reset after participating in a training session with Chris Brickley
• Addressed a logic error in The Long Shadow when determining if your performance was good or bad in the Combine and Private NBA Team Workout
• Corrected a situation in the Dunk Contest where the Round Recap overlay could stay on the screen for too long, obscuring the following dunk

MyNBA

• Uploaded Player DNAs and prospects in uploaded draft classes will now retain their tattoos
• Start from Offseason will now include the rookies in the 2020 NBA Draft
• Addressed a hang that some users reported when attempting to start a new MyNBA while using a custom roster
• Addressed a hang that some users reported when attempting to download/apply Team Designs into a MyNBA
• Editing tattoos will now work correctly in MyNBA Online
• Fixed a progression issue in MyNBA Online that was causing many players to have their overall rating incorrectly decrease over time
• Resolved various stability issues in MyNBA Online
• Contracts for released players will no longer appear on the salary cap when dead cap rules have been disabled
• Players will now continue to age after their age has been edited
• Various improvements have been made related to player training and flex scheduling
• You are no longer able to edit players in a ranked MyNBA league
• Improved G League player generation to allow for a more realistic prospect pool

MyWNBA/The W

• Players will now be wearing the expected/correct clothing during The W Online games
• The camera will now always keep both the player and the ball on screen in The W Online games
• Added baseline media to WNBA arenas and made continued improvements to the positioning and behavior of all characters
• Fixed a rare hang that could occur during the lottery in MyWNBA or The W
• Addressed an issue in MyWNBA where the League MVP would also be shown as the Rookie of the Year after simulating through a season

MyTeam

• Added Online VS, the difficulty used in both MyTeam Limited & Unlimited, to Play With Friends games
• The camera will now be positioned properly when a shooting foul is called during Triple Threat Challenge games
• A number of under-the-hood support items have been added in preparation for upcoming MyTeam Seasons.