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It all started when I turned on my Nintendo and heard the phrase ‘Double Dribble’ speak to me.

That was my first ever basketball video game and I haven’t lost interest since. I went on to dunk with Shawn Kemp in Tecmo NBA Basketball, before putting up power moves with Shaquille O’Neil in NBA Live 97. Around the turn of the century, I finally switched to NBA2K, which allows gamers to use players from many different decades.

It’s not as much about playing the game as it is reliving my childhood. There is a special feeling I get when I see my son learn the names of the same players I looked up to when I was growing up on hoops.

I don’t have to tell him how good Michael Jordan was, or how tough Karl Malone was. I simply let him fire up the game and see for himself.

That being said, it’s fun to play with all of the different teams and players the game has to offer, especially with the online version. Throughout the pandemic, I have been playing online 2K with my brother, who lives in Wisconsin, and our friend who lives in the Twin Cities.

The sessions have helped keep us sane during an uncertain time and they’ve also given us something to look forward to in an era littered with postponements and cancel