NBA 2K23 Badges: List of All Badges

The importance of badges in NBA 2K is slowly rising with the number of talented players in the league and the rising number of skilled gamers, being an essential factor that separates the great players from the best.

Badges have been in the game for the past few years, but this year’s edition has more badges than ever before. The options and levels are endless as players can pick and choose the badges that suit their playing style and type of build.

So, to help you to gear up for NBA 2K, here’s your guide to all of the different badges in the game as well as how to redeem, equip, and use them successfully.

Also check: How to Get 99 Overall in NBA 2k23

What are badges and what do they do in 2K23 (badges explained)

Badges in NBA 2K23 are skill boosts that in-game players may obtain by leveling up or as a result of their real-life counterparts’ performances in the NBA. Badges give the player a significant edge over the opponent, with tiers spanning Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Hall of Fame badges.

Not all badges are open to all positions. This means that some badges for guards may not be available for forwards or centers. For example, centers may not obtain any of the Playmaking badges.

Badges are categorizes into four skill: Finishing Badges, Shooting Badges, Playmaking Badges, and Defense/Rebounding Badges. Each badge can be combined with others as gamers continue to upgrade their players.

Next gen (PS5 and Xbox Series X|S) will be using a three tiered badge system. Badges in tier 1 will be the least powerful and most affordable. As the tier level increases, costs for badges will too.

How does the badge system work in NBA 2K23?

In NBA 2K23, the next gen badge system works in tiers, with tier 1 representing a base-level or the weakest form of a badge, while tier 2 and tier 3 are the prime badge tiers and cost the most points.

NBA 2K23 on current gen retains the previous four tier system of Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Hall of Fame. Your build and playing style in the game is crucial to finding the optimal position to maximize your badges.

Forwards generally have the highest ceiling in terms of badge collecting. You may need to alter your height, weight, and wingspan to a setting that allows you to access the majority of the badges.

How many badges are there 2K23?

There are 64 badges available in 2K23, 16 badges in each category: Finishing, Shooting, Playmaking, and Defensive/Rebounding.

• Finishing badges: There are 16 Finishing badges in total.
  • There are 5 new badges and 1 badge has been removed.
  • New badges: Slithery, Masher, Aerial Wizard and Bully.
  • Badges Removed: Hook Specialist 
• Shooting badges: There are 16 Shooting badges in total.
  • There are 8 new badges, 6 badges removed and 1 badge (Mismatch Expert) reassigned to playmaking.
  • New badges: Agent, Middy Magician, Amped, Claymore, Comeback Kid, Hand Down Man Down, Space Creator and Limitless Range.
  • Badges removed: Chef, Hot Zone Hunter, Lucky #7, Set Shooter, Sniper, and Limitless Spot-Up 
• Playmaking badges: There 16 Playmaking badges in total.
  • There are 4 new badges, 4 badges removed, and 1 badge (Space Creator) reassigned to shooting.
  • New badges: Combos, Clamp Breaker, Vice Grip and Mismatch Expert (reassigned from shooting)
  • Badges removed: Bullet Passer, Downhill, Glue Hands and Stop & Go
• Defensive/Reboundingbadges: There are 16 Defensive badges in total.
  • There are 5 new badges and 1 badge removed.
  • New badges: Anchor, Boxout Beast, Work Horse, Glove and Challenger 
  • Badges removed: Defensive Leader

A caveat is that NBA players generally have more obtainable badges, so your MyPlayer build may be capped when trying to get some power-ups.

All 2K23 badges

Below are all of the 64 badges available in 2K23 broken down by category.

Finishing Badges

• Acrobat
• Backdown Punisher
• Bully
• Dream Shake
• Dropstepper
• Fast Twitch
• Fearless Finisher
• Giant Slayer
• Limitless Takeoff
• Masher
• Post Spin Technician
• Posterizer
• Por Touch
• Rise Up
• Slithery

Shooting Badges

• Agent 3
• Amped
• Blinders
• Catch and Shoot
• Claymore
• Clutch Shooter
• Comeback Kid
• Corner Specialist
• Deadeye
• Green Machine
• Guard Up
• Limitless Range
• Middy Magician
• Slippery Off-ball
• Space Creator
• Volume Shooter

Playmaking Badges

• Ankle Breaker
• Bail Out
• Break Starter
• Clamp Breaker
• Dimer
• Floor General
• Handles For Days
• Hyper Drive
• Killer Combos
• Mismatch Expert
• Needle Threader
• Post Playmaker
• Quick First Step
• Special Delivery
• Unpluckable
• Vice Grip

Defense/Rebounding Badges

• Anchor
• Ankle Braces
• Boxout Beast
• Brick Wall
• Challenger
• Chase Down Artist
• Clamps
• Glove
• Interceptor
• Menace
• Off-ball Pest
• Pick Dodger
• Pogo Stick
• Post Lockdown
• Rebound Chaser
• Work Horse

Removed badges

The badges below have been removed from NBA 2K23.

How to equip and change badges

You can change badges in 2K23 by entering a game mode, finding the player that you want to see the badge of, and then selecting ‘Badges’ from the player screen in the game. The game will then give you the option to choose from the badge categories and equip your chosen badges.

There isn’t a limit to the total number of badges that you can equip at the same time. Different badges are more difficult to obtain than others, though, so using the right power-up will be essential to any player in the game.

How to upgrade badges in 2K23

Earning badges is based on your in-game performance to add more badge points to your player. More badge points are earned for your performance based on if you score from outside (Scoring), finish in the paint (Finishing), dish out assists (Playmaking), or play great defense (Defensive/Rebounding).

Certain badges allow you to upgrade all of the way to the Hall of Fame tier, depending on your player’s build and regardless of them being a guard, forward, or center. Gold badges are upgradable provided that they are unlockable for the build at hand.

Choosing your badges

Certain badges are better suited to different playstyles. Perimeter scorers will likely opt for shooting badges. Slashers will lean towards finishing badges. Floor generals will mostly choose playmaking badges. On-ball stoppers will likely want the defensive badges.

Some badges are more effective than others, especially those with the potential to reach the Hall of Fame tier. Blinders, Posterizer, Quick First Step, and Clamps are just some of the first badges that you may aim to equip at the start of NBA 2K23.

How to remove badges

To remove badges in 2K23, you need to:

1. Go to your MyPlayer;
2. Find the Badges section;
3. Select the badge that you want to remove;
4. Make sure that you deactivate the badge that you want to remove by checking if it’s invisible on your screen.

If you think that a certain badge does not go well with another, you may remove that badge from your arsenal. Any changes made to your player’s badge selection will be reflected in your next game.

Note that after you remove a badge, you may activate it again if ever you want to try out new builds. The badge will just be inactive in your badge dashboard, but a quick click will allow them to be available again at any time.

How many badges do you need to get Hall of Fame in NBA 2K?

A brand new feature for NBA 2K23 is that all badges in the game are now upgradable to Hall-of-Fame status. This allows gamers to be rewarded for their hard work grinding through matches and earning the maximum attributes for a certain badge.

The Finishing, Shooting, Playmaking, and Defense/Rebounding badges can all be upgraded for NBA 2K23. A caveat is that different badges have different minimum skill attributes required to qualify for the Hall-of-Fame tier.

An example is a MyPlayer will need a pass accuracy of 80 to get the Hall of Fame Post Playmaker badge while they will need to have a 88 rating if they want to get the Hall of Fame Floor General badge.

A good tip to follow is that you must have an attribute rating of over 80 to qualify for most Hall of Fame badges while an attribute rating of 99 is needed for some Hall of Fame badges such as Posterizer, Rebound Chaser, and Dimer.

Looking for the best badges?

NBA 2K23 Badges: Best Finishing Badges to Up Your Game in MyCareer

NBA 2K23 Badges: Best Shooting Badges to Up Your Game in MyCareer

Looking for the best team to play for?

NBA 2K23: Best Teams To Play For As A Center (C) in MyCareer

NBA 2K23: Best Teams To Play For As A Shooting Guard (SG) in MyCareer

NBA 2K23: Best Teams To Play For As A Point Guard (PG) in MyCareer

NBA 2K23: Best Teams To Play For As A Small Forward (SF) in MyCareer

Looking for more 2K23 guides?

NBA 2K23 Badges: Best Finishing Badges to Up Your Game in MyCareer

NBA 2K23: Best Teams to Rebuild

NBA 2K23: Easy Methods to Earn VC Fast

NBA 2K23 Dunking Guide: How to Dunk, Contact Dunks, Tips & Tricks

NBA 2K23 Badges: List of All Badges

NBA 2K23 Shot Meter Explained: Everything You Need to Know About Shot Meter Types and Settings

NBA 2K23 Sliders: Realistic Gameplay Settings for MyLeague and MyNBA

NBA 2K23 Controls Guide (PS4, PS5, Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S)

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