NBA 2K26 MyTEAM Will Feature WNBA Players Napheesa Collier, Caitlin Clark, and Angel Reese

The landscape of sports gaming is about to undergo one of its most significant transformations to date. NBA 2K26 is introducing an in-game feature that, for the first time in the franchise’s history, allows WNBA players to be fully integrated into MyTEAM mode. This game update allows gamers to create rosters that blend the best players from both the NBA and WNBA onto a single team. From a logistical standpoint, NBA 2K26’s approach ensures that WNBA and NBA Player Cards function with the same attributes and badge systems, creating a balanced, consistent gameplay experience no matter who is on the court. Overall, this update not only creates a fun new gameplay experience, it also has the potential to significantly shift how women athletes are perceived within both gaming and real-world environments.

NBA 2K MyTEAM Changes

Historically, sports video games have struggled with authentic representation of women avatars and women athletes. When women have been included in major titles, they have often been relegated to separate modes with different mechanics, effectively reinforcing the segregation that exists in traditional sport contexts. But the updates to NBA 2K26’s MyTEAM integration may help to dismantle this digital divide by ensuring that a WNBA player’s virtual performance is measured using similar criteria as their NBA counterparts. This approach addresses a critical issue that extends beyond gaming.

The uniform treatment of player attributes means that a highly-rated WNBA player will perform at that level regardless of the gender composition of the team around them. It also means that virtual worlds are not restricted by real world stereotyping. The NBA 2K update serves as a subtle but powerful statement about athletic competence that can assist in moving beyond traditional gender-based performance assumptions. The game updates also extend to new game modes like All-Star Team-Up, where 10 players can control their favorite NBA or WNBA Player Cards in collaborative 5v5 matches. This cooperative element could prove particularly significant, as it positions women athletes not as alternatives to men players, but as equally valuable teammates in achieving shared objectives in virtual environments.

Gaming Culture’s Gender Divide

The significance of this integration becomes even more apparent when viewed against the backdrop of gaming culture’s historically complicated relationship with women. Research into social media reactions when sports video games have introduced women athletes reveals persistent patterns of resistance, stereotyping, and attempts to maintain traditional gender hierarchies within virtual spaces.

When NBA 2K first introduced WNBA players back in the 2019 release, the announcement generated a lot of debate across social media platforms. In a previous study, an analysis of thousands of these social media comments revealed three dominant response patterns from gamers: 1) using male athletic performance as the universal measuring stick for all athletes, 2) treating women’s inclusion as an invasion of traditionally masculine spaces, and 3) expressing outright hostility toward women athletes’ presence in the game.

The study also found that those social media reactions largely reinforced the socialized notion that virtual sport environments should mirror the gender segregation of traditional athletics. Comments frequently suggested that WNBA players didn’t belong in NBA 2K, with users arguing for completely separate games or questioning the athletic legitimacy of women professionals. Seven years later, the integration model in NBA 2K26 directly challenges these perspectives. Rather than maintaining distinct leagues within the game, the MyTEAM system creates scenarios where the success of a virtual team might depend entirely on the performance of women athletes. This design choice forces players to engage with WNBA talent not as a separate category, but as a potentially essential component of competitive success.

For women’s sport as an industry, when millions of players worldwide engage with mixed-gender teams as a normal part of gameplay, the cultural implications extend beyond individual gaming experiences and have the potential to reshape perceptions about women’s in-real-life athletic capabilities. The virtual basketball court then becomes a space where traditional gender-based performance assumptions are tested against actual gameplay outcomes.

However, the path to acceptance and moving past real-world stereotypes and limitations remains a challenge. Gaming communities have historically shown resistance to changes that threaten established hierarchies, and the integration of WNBA players into core gameplay modes represents the type of shift that can generate backlash. The one key difference with NBA 2K26’s approach is that the integration is comprehensive rather than optional; and players who want to compete at the highest levels in MyTEAM will need to engage with the full roster of available talent, regardless of gender.

Top 10 WNBA Player Ratings

The latest NBA 2K26 game also features WNBA players with updated player ratings. Napheesa Collier took the top spot with a 98 overall rating and Angel Reese held steady with her 90 player rating to round out the top 10:

1. Napheesa Collier (Minnesota Lynx) – 98 Overall Rating
2. A’ja Wilson (Las Vegas Aces) – 97 Overall Rating
3. Breanna Stewart (New York Liberty) – 97 Overall Rating
4. Caitlin Clark (Indiana Fever) – 96 Overall Rating
5. Alyssa Thomas (Phoenix Mercury) – 95 Overall Rating
6. Sabrina Ionescu (New York Liberty) – 93 Overall Rating
7. Nneka Ogwumike (Seattle Storm) – 92 Overall Rating
8. Satou Sabally (Phoenix Mercury) – 92 Overall Rating
9. Jonquel Jones (New York Liberty) – 92 Overall Rating
10. Angel Reese (Chicago Sky) – 90 Overall Rating