Matt Hanifan Fries Ronnie 2K on X

Matt Hanifan Fries Ronnie 2K on X

Vendetta’s own Matt Hanifan is out here doing God’s work (in a basketball sense), exposing NBA 2K on behalf of Miami Heat star Bam Adebayo. Tweeting out criticism of NBA 2K’s rating of Adebayo’s defense, his post got so much traffic that it got 2K spokesperson Ronnie 2K to chime in.

We all know the NBA2K series does not have the most optimal ways of measuring a player’s talent. Due to limitations of the gaming sphere and programming, among other factors, compared to real life. Sometimes, these ratings are based on the “eye test.” In any case, Hanifan is not wrong in his criticism. 

Those stats come from the latest 2K roster update, released on April 18th, just after the regular season concluded. So, although the site is a “fan site,” it does not make the stats on it “wrong.” In fact, you can go on 2K24 right now and see the stats are the exact same. Adebayo is the same 88 overall going into 2K25 posted on 2K’s official X account.

Basketball fans understand that Bam Adebayo is one of the best centers in the NBA. Especially in the context of defense, let us remember this guy is a three-time All-Star and two-time Olympic Gold Medalist. More importantly, in our argument, Bam Adebayo has had five All-NBA Defensive selections since his sophomore season and has finished in the top-5 of Defensive Player of the Year voting every year since then, including a top-3 honor in 2023-24.

So, what are we even talking about? Ronnie says, “So until you see it from us don’t believe fake news.” The saying goes, “If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.” Bam Adebayo’s rating in 2K24 is an 88 with his current attributes, and he is an 88 in 2K25. It is fair to say his attributes are not going to change much.

At the very least, resident Heat fan Hanifan may have given Adebayo a nice boost when that first player rating update dropped. 

The whole situation is so funny to me because it exposes the truth that many people in the 2K community, as well as the people involved in the game itself in any fashion, don’t know the ball. Yes, 2K attributes should be taken as seriously as ESPN’s top 100 player lists. It is just the fact that Ronnie made himself look like a clown, and it says as much in the replies. 

Shoutout to Matt Hanifan, a true basketball fan.

Hanifan: 1 – 2K: 0

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