For NBA 2k21, we have a brand new MyCareer story where you can build your player, play through drafting, and head toward the big leagues. You will start with the player creation and then your debut, where you will meet your first coach and start your career. We have prepared this detailed walkthrough for the MyCareer story, so let’s begin. The tips to optimize your NBA 2K21 are also listed in this guide.
You start NBA 2K21 MyCareer by creating your own base player. We recommend you select a body weight that does not affect your speed, so choose something in the middle which is optimum. Keep the wingspan fairly average as well.
Memories
After player creation, a cutscene will appear where you will be talked to and recruited into your first contract by a coach.
That will be a motivational speech, and then another cutscene will appear. This will be 3 years before today when we will see that your character had some serious issues with his father.
When the cutscene ends, you can check all the things you have; you will start with zero VC and a few default animations.
High School Career
Now, you will start with your first high school match. It will be a pretty easy match with low ratings, so keep pushing and getting as many points as possible, and you will be fine. After you win the game, you will meet a guy, Archie Baldwin. A cutscene will appear where he will tell you how good you are, and if you keep this winning momentum, he can get you a scholarship.
Archie will tell you that he was your father’s friend. When you finish the match, get back and use that earned VC to increase your ball handleability. In the first match, you must have noticed that your ball handling is very slow, so it will be better to start spending on that immediately.
After the first big win, you will go from a one-star prospect to a two-star prospect. In your second game, you need to go hard from the start, and in the last couple of minutes, you will be injured. This is your first injury of the career, and when you win the game, you will once again meet with Archie outside.
Archie will again tell you that you have good moves and can secure a scholarship, but you need to keep playing. The cutscene continues with you and Archie going out to eat. Archie will tell you his story, and then you guys will make a deal. Then, a past cutscene will appear again.
Then, your coach will tell you to sit through the next game to get better. Use your earned VC to increase three-point shooting. Now, you will be at a three-star prospect ranking. Then, you will see that your team is performing badly without you, so you will get an option to enter the game during the break.
If you choose to enter, it will be an easy game. Even though you will not be 100%, you can win the game easily. And spend that VC on your shooting again. Next, you will be in the Barclays with Archie for the big game day. There will be some dialogue, and then you will see a heated conversation between Archie and your coach. The match ahead is a very tough one.
The opponents in front of you will have 3-point shooting stars as well, and their speed will be unmatched. Keep an eye on your stamina and play with full focus to win the game. The opponents will always go toe to toe with you, so play with passing and shooting.
College Basketball Career
This win will get you into college with a scholarship. One month later, you will get to the next cutscene with Archie. After the scene, you will have to choose your college. Next, you will have your college debut, which will be the same regardless of what college you choose.
Use the VC you earn to upgrade important skills. Upgrade your animations and moves in the ‘My Animation’ menu.
Next, you will have a cutscene before your debut at the college. The first one will be a quarter practice run, and if you have been upgrading your skills and moves, it will be a pretty easy game if you are slacking behind, it can get pretty competitive, so keep up your upgrades.
After the win, some NBA teams will be watching you. Also, a cutscene will appear where you have some chemistry with a girl. You will have small talk with a girl named Ellie over a foosball match, and you will be getting her number.
Ellie
When you win this next game, the coach will talk to you about the team and leadership in a cutscene. Text Ellie about a meet-up; it’s your first date. The next cutscene will be with your father from the past again. You will have a match ahead, and as you win matches, more and more NBA teams will become interested in you, and your ratings will go higher.
After the match, you will have a long talk with your coach about your behavior as you win more and more matches. He just wants you to be humbler like your dad. Next thing, you will be on a date with Ellie, and you guys will have a good time talking.
After this, you will be indirectly approached by this media lady who will challenge you for 20 points in the next game for positive media coverage. She threatens to give you bad coverage on her top show of basketball.
Accept the challenge, and in the next match, you have to score 20 points with your player. This will be easy if you upgrade everything as you move forward. After the match, your draft stocks will go sky-high.
Politics in the Game
Next, you will have a dialogue with your teammate about playing for rep and playing for the team; the next day in college, you will meet Archie. You guys will talk about the coach and Archie’s relationship, and Archie will show you all the intel and your standing in the draft stocks.
Next, you will meet Alex Williams herself on the bus. She will talk to you about political stuff and then tell you to increase your scoring average and win the next games. Upgrade your badges in the meantime as well. Alex will tell you that a person whose name rhymes with Ted (which is, of course, Red) is the one who told her about you and Ellie’s relationship.
After the game, you will chat with Ellie and then with Alex, who will again tell you that she got your number from the same person. After winning the second game of Alex’s challenge, Alex will interview you in a cutscene. Then, you will text Ellie, but she won’t reply.
Then, you will get a text from Alex Williams. Look at your draft board again to see where you are going up after those games.
First Break-up
You will have heated talks with reporters and the coach before your next game. After the game, you will get a text from Ellie and hang out with her in the next cutscene.
You will have a big fight, and then you will have a choice to either drop out of college or stay together with Ellie. We recommend you go with the second option. You will apologize to Ellie and talk to Red next morning about Ellie and the situation.
You will go to the train station for Ellie, and you both will have a moment there before she leaves. The last thing Ellie will ask you to do is take down Hendrix, whom you will face in your next game.
NCAA Championship
You will have a dialogue with Hendrixx before the game. This game will be the toughest you have played so far, so keep your nerves up and play to your best.
Make sure you have everything upgraded, including badges. Cobb will be your biggest and toughest opponent; you have also played against him in high school. After this big win, you will have a cutscene with Archie again.
Next up is the big NCAA championship game. It’s the biggest game of your career so far. A win in this game will lead you to the NBA drafts. This will be a big game; winning will get you a huge celebration and a trophy.
Next, you will see a flashback of your dad telling you about the NBA draft system and what you have to do to get selected.
Choosing the Best Option
Next, you will talk to the agent Layla for the drafts and meet Harper Dell from an agency for the pitch they put up for you. It will be a long cutscene.
They will make you choose between Archie and them. Then, you get to talk to Archie about it before deciding. After that, you will choose between Archie and Harper and have to choose one to keep going.
We chose Harper for our game, which seems like a good decision considering Harper’s strong presence in the NBA, brand deals, and good commission. However, the game will prompt you to reconsider if you choose Harper at first.
This is a usual play-by-the-game, and this time, we went with Archie Baldwin. This will get you an emotional dialogue between you and Archie. Next up, Archie will be preparing you for an interview. Then, you will have an interview for NBA drafts.
For the interview, you will have multiple questions with multiple answers; we recommend you go easy and not sound corny. Answer neutral, and you will be fine. However, your draft stocks will fluctuate depending on your answers, so keep that in mind.
Next comes the media day; as the name implies, it will be about press and, again, questions. Answer with your instincts, and you will get high stocks. Next, you will go to the private workout, so select the team you want to work with.
The Night before Drafts
Next, you will meet with Damian Lillard and get guidance. Then, you will have a 2 vs. 2 game in which you must score 10 first.
Give this game your best. After the game, you will be in your room when Cobb comes and takes you outside. You will be dragged into a game, and you will have to choose whether to play in front of all this media and fans.
The decision is all yours; if you want to stay back, it will not hurt your drafts. But if you choose to play against Zion, it will be a big deal, and you will have to put on a good show and win. You will have to score 10 points first, and do keep in mind that Zion will get a speed boost during the match.
The NBA
After the win, your draft stocks will be off the charts. And now, the time has finally come for the NBA Drafts. Archie will be there to cheer you up. First will be Hendrixx Cobb, who will be selected. You will be selected to a team in the NBA and have a warm talk with your high school coach.
Then, you will have a flashback with your dad, who will teach you about life ahead. Now is the time for your first big game in the NBA. So, ensure you have everything upgraded and are ready to act.
Now, NBA matches are a bit different; the opponent’s defense will get much better and faster, so you might have some problems shooting. It will be a hard game, but you have to win it to get going in the NBA.
This will be a long game; remember that you cannot score 3s yet. As you do dunks and assists, you will unlock trophies, and your fans will keep increasing. After winning, you will also get your first endorsement from a brand. You will chat with them to agree. Then, you will have a show brand to pick from; there are all the popular brands to choose from, so go with whatever you like. As you keep taking on different teams in the NBA, you will get more and more badge and attribute upgrades.
From here, it is a straight ride; just keep winning for your team. And you will keep climbing the popularity ladder.
After a few matches, you will get your first endorsement cheque, giving you 1300 VC.
Now is the time to get all the necessary upgrades. Now, keep playing, winning, and upgrading; that is what the NBA is all about now.
There will be no more cutscenes, match after match, and in those matches, you will get your match against Stephen Currey. It will be a tough one.
