When you talk basketball culture, two pillars sit just below the game itself: music and 2K. For over twenty years, the series hasn’t just scored virtual hoops; it’s scored eras. So here it is: EuroStep’s definitive top five NBA 2K soundtracks.
5. NBA 2K20 - A Rose-Tinted Blast from the Past
I hate to say it, but 2K20's soundtrack is the definition of you had to be there. Anyone who hooped through the COVID years has this game firmly burned into their retinas, along with the soundtrack in their minds.
Packed with era-defining artists, such as 24KGoldn, Juice WRLD, Roddy Ricch, XXXTENTACION, and The Future Kings, this mix somehow gives you warm fuzzy nostalgia for one of the bleakest stretches in recent memory. That alone is wild.
The base game launched with 50 tracks, but updates ballooned the list to nearly 100, making it one of the deepest in franchise history. Five hours of music is great… until your favourite song comes on and you know you won't hear it again until the next semester.
Still: time capsule vibes? Unmatched.
4. NBA 2K16 - The One That Raised Me
2K16 was my first 2K. And for that reason, it'll always hit different. I owe an unreal amount to this soundtrack, especially because it features the hip-hop Batman and Robin, Royce Da 5'9" and DJ Premier, who fuse to create the monumental PRhyme, the first rap album I ever discovered on my own. And for that, it will always be iconic to me.
With DJ Premier, DJ Khaled, and DJ Mustard as executive producers, the soundtrack hits hard, featuring a pure basketball-meets-hip-hop lineage, including Nas, Wiz Khalifa, and Gang Starr. And 2K16 didn't stay in its comfort zone either. It nudged you toward new flavours: Santigold's "Disparate Youth" is still a gem, and John Newman's "Blame" is straight-up 2010s sports-soundtrack royalty.
But for every hit, there's a head-scratcher. I love the Ramones as much as the next person, but hearing them mid–MyCAREER grind feels… off. And Bag Raiders' "Shooting Stars"? A certified timestamp track, sure, but its inclusion feels more like someone at 2K said, "Hey, this song is trending, let's put it in" rather than "this song encapsulates the sound we want".
Still, for all its quirks, 2K16 is iconic. Just not flawless, and maybe that's why it sticks with me even more.
3. NBA 2K9 - The Sleeper Classic
If you played 2K9 and didn't expect it on this list, please report to our socials at @eurostep.mag and tell us what the hell you're smoking.
Before 2K was the cultural monster it is today, 2K9 quietly delivered one of the most musically literate soundtracks in the franchise. Whether that was due to a visionary exec or a shoestring budget forcing creativity, the end result is undeniable: whoever curated this mix knew their stuff.
This game packs some real sleeper hits from the likes of The Meters, A Tribe Called Quest, N.E.R.D., DANGERDOOM, The Brand New Heavies, and the criminally underrated Pharcyde. It's basically a crash course in groove-heavy, sample-rich, classic hip-hop and funk.
If you want to level up your foundations, this isn't a soundtrack; it's a starter kit.
2. NBA2K13 - Allow Me to Reintroduce Myself…
If you want hustle bottled into a playlist, you go to New York. And when you get there, you go straight to the unofficial mayor of ambition himself: Jay-Z.
The moment you boot up 2K13, Hov's presence is unmistakable. As executive producer, he didn't just add a few favourites; he crafted a full-blown love letter to the city that built hip-hop. His selections trace the NYC lineage from the early era of Eric B. and Rakim, through the golden-age dominance of Nas and The Notorious B.I.G., all the way to Jay-Z himself. The entire mix carries that signature New York grit: confidence, snarl, and just enough polish to remind you who's running the show.
And while the heartbeat is hip-hop, 2K13 isn't afraid to widen the scope. Tracks like "Viva La Vida" by Coldplay, "Ali in the Jungle" by The Hours, and "1901" by Phoenix cross genre lines without disrupting the vibe. They add colour, momentum, and that extra dose of cinematic energy that made 2K13 feel bigger than the game it belonged to.
This wasn't simply a soundtrack; it was a mindset. A lock-in, bet-on-yourself, go-get-yours playlist. Essential for hoopers everywhere, whether you were grinding MyTEAM, sweating Park, or running full court at your local.
1. NBA 2K17 — The Risk That Became a Blueprint
2K17 is a constant in every ranking debate for good reason. On paper, it shouldn't work: hip-hop was exploding into its next mainstream era, yet 2K flipped their usual 70/30 hip-hop-to-indie formula and loaded the soundtrack with indie, pop, and EDM.
And somehow, they stuck the landing.
Sure, they secured rap elites, Skepta, Young Thug, Drake. But the real identity of the soundtrack lives in its eclectic, global curation. It's a genre-hopping world tour that feels cohesive, fresh, and unbelievably replayable.
At a moment when rap was breaking through its second renaissance, 2K didn't just follow; they zagged. And in doing so, they delivered the most balanced, discoverable soundtrack in franchise history.
Everyone finds a new favourite here. That's the magic.
