“I think it’s a badge of honor for those guys, something they definitely talk about in the locker room" - Ronnie 2K acknowledges Klay Thompson's complaints about his NBA rating
Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson is widely regarded as one of the greatest shooters of all time. He is almost always in discussions for one of the best 3-point shooters in league history.
However, his 3-point and overall rating on NBA 2K23 do not reflect the same. Thompson's overall rating is 83, which is surprisingly below players like RJ Barrett, Tyrese Haliburton and Tyler Herro.
Thompson's 3-point shooting is rated at 88, which is 11 points behind leader Steph Curry. He expressed his disgust on Instagram.
Klay Thompson has some words for the “bums” at 2K 😂😂😂 https://t.co/5jOeEqc4dV
Ronnie 2K, the digital marketing director for NBA 2K, responded in an interview with Sports Illustrated.
“I think it’s a badge of honor for those guys. Something they definitely talk about in the locker room,” he said. “... Klay said that he hadn’t played NBA2K since the Dreamcast. The fact that he cares about his rating so much, I know that that’s not true.
"But you know what the funny thing is? That was still tied for the second-highest rating. I think that’s part of the issue of having a teammate that’s leaps and bounds ahead of everybody, like how do you deal with that?"
Ronnie 2K on Klay Thompson’s complaints:
“Even though Klay said that he hadn’t played NBA2K since the Dreamcast… I know that that’s not true. I can see his gamer tag, he plays it just plenty.”
(via @joeylinn_, si.com/nba/warriors/n…) https://t.co/AJTwpb0oYa
Why Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson's objections are justified
Both Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson openly objected to their NBA 2K23 ratings. Durant expressed his dissatisfaction on Twitter, while Thompson did it on Instagram.
There's a commonly cited reason behind why player ratings on NBA 2K every year are so incredibly divisive. This is due to the unknown methodology that goes into defining such metrics. While the developers have their reasons, the metrics are never made known to the players and fans.
However, another glaring reason for this divisiveness is the lack of competition in the market.
The European football-gaming market is dominated by EA Sports' FIFA. However, Pro Evolution Soccer by Konami has long served as a formidable competitor. No such competition exists in the realm of basketball gaming, or at the very least, no formidable competitors exist in that market. Naturally, those who enjoy basketball video games are often left disgruntled with whatever 2K does.
Giannis Antetokounmpo's overall rating is 97, the highest for any active player in the league. Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid are all rated the same at 96.
Comparatively, the ratings make sense. However, there's no denying that Durant and Thompson's complaints are justified. Especially since they are the best at what they do.