NBA Playgrounds

A 2 on 2 basketball game that calls back to NBA Jam and NBA Street.
PC Xbox One PlayStation 4 Nintendo Switch

Overview

NBA Playgrounds is a basketball game developed by Saber Interactive and published by Mad Dog Games for PC, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. The game was published by Saber Interactive for Nintendo Switch.

Gameplay

NBA Playgrounds is a fast-pace arcade-style basketball game that harkens to the gameplay and aesthetics of the NBA Jam series, but has matches taking place on outdoor scenes inspired by the NBA Street series. A typical match consists of 2 players controlling one team of two players in a 2-on-2 matchup with a set time limit and a 12 second shotclock.

Unlike NBA Jam, Playgrounds has a buildable meter that will result in a special powerup called a Lottery Pick when the meter is filled completely. Players can fill the meter by completing successful actions (shooting a basket, stealing the ball, blocking a shot). However, the meter will be depleted if any one player successfully shoves another one, and the meter will have to be built back up to get a powerup. An active Lottery Pick will also be deactivated if the team with the active powerup shoves an opposing player.

Roster

NBA Playgrounds boasts a relatively massive roster of 31 official NBA teams with active and inactive players spanning all eras of the NBA's official history and one team called The Playgrounders, consisting of Youtube streamers who promote the game and the game's commentary team, totaling up to 32 teams and 351 playable characters, counting all the duplicate players who played for different teams (eg, Shaquille O'Neal).

Certain players are also differentiated from other more common players with Epic and Legend brandings. Epic players may have high stats and fan favorite status, while Legend players have extremely high stats and signature moves to help them play above all other characters. The use of a signature move will be telegraphed with a sound cue and golden sparkles coming off the player in a match.

Teams

Atlanta Hawks

Boston Celtics

Brooklyn Nets

Charlottle Hornets

  • Alonzo Mourning (Epic)
  • Cody Zeller
  • Dell Curry
  • Frank Kaminsky
  • Kemba Walker
  • Larry Johnson (Epic)
  • Malik Monk
  • Marvin Williams
  • Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
  • Muggsy Bogues (Epic)
  • Nicolas Batum

Chicago Bulls

  • Dennis Rodman (Legend)
  • Scottie Pippen (Legend)
  • Bill Cartwright (Epic)
  • Derrick Rose
  • Dwayne Wade (Epic)
  • Jimmy Butler
  • Luol Dend
  • Michael Carter-Williams
  • Rajon Rondo
  • Robert Parish (Epic)
  • Robin Lopez

Cleveland Cavaliers

  • LeBron James (Legend)
  • Shaquille O'Neal (Legend)
  • Iman Shupert
  • JR Smith
  • Kevin Love
  • Kyle Korver
  • Kyrie Irvin (Epic)
  • Larry Nance (Epic)
  • Mark Price (Epic)
  • Shawn Kemp
  • Shawn Marion
  • Tristan Thompson
  • Walt Frazier (Epic)

Dalls Mavericks

  • Dirk Nowitzski (Legend)
  • Steve Nash (Legend)
  • Alex English (Epic)
  • Dennis Smith Jr.
  • Deron Williams
  • Harrison Barnes
  • Jason Kidd (Epic)
  • Nerlens Noel
  • Seth Curry
  • Wesley Matthews

Denver Nuggets

  • Alex English (Epic)
  • Carmelo Anthony (Epic)
  • Danilo Gallinari
  • Dikembe Mutombo (Epic)
  • Emmanuel Mudiay
  • Jamal Murray
  • Kenneth Faried
  • Mason Plumlee
  • Mike Miller
  • Nikola Jokic
  • Roy Hibbert
  • Wilson Chandler

Detroit Pistons

  • Dennis Rodman (Legend)
  • Isiah Thomas (Legend)
  • Joe Dumars (Legend)
  • Andre Drummond
  • Ben Wallace (Epic)
  • Bill Laimbeer
  • Chauncey Billups
  • Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
  • Marcus Morris
  • Reggie Jackson
  • Tobias Harris

Golden State Warriors

  • Rick Barry (Legend)
  • Stephen Curry (Legend)
  • Wilt Chamberlain (Legend)
  • Andre Iguodala
  • Baron Davis (Epic)
  • Chris Mullin
  • Chris Webber (Epic)
  • Draymond Green
  • Kevin Durant (Epic)
  • Klay Thompson (Epic)
  • Matt Barnes
  • Tim Hardaway

Houston Rockets

  • Elvin Hayes (Legend)
  • Hakeem Olajuwon (Legend)
  • James Harden (Legend)
  • Scottie Pippen (Legend)
  • Clint Capela
  • Clyde Drexler (Epic)
  • Kenny Smith
  • Lou Williams
  • Nene
  • Patrick Beverly
  • Ryan Anderson
  • Sam Cassell
  • Tracy McGrady (Epic)
  • Trevor Ariza
  • Yao Ming (Epic)

Indiana Pacers

  • Al Jefferson
  • Jalen Rose
  • Jeff Teague
  • Monta Ellis
  • Paul George (Epic)
  • Thaddeus Young

Los Angeles Clippers

  • Blake Griffin (Epic)
  • Chris Paul (Epic)
  • Danny Manning (Epic)
  • DeAndre Jordan
  • JJ Redick
  • Jamal Crawford

Los Angeles Lakers

  • Elgin Baylor (Legend)
  • Jerry West (Legend)
  • Magic Johnson (Legend)
  • Shaquille O'Neal (Legend)
  • Brandon Ingram
  • D'Angelo Russell
  • George Mikan
  • James Worthy
  • Jordan Clarkson
  • Julius Randle
  • Lonzo Ball (Epic)
  • Luol Deng
  • Nick Young
  • Rick Fox
  • Timofey Mozgov

Memphis Grizzlies

  • Andrew Harrison
  • Chandler Parsons
  • Marc Gasol
  • Mike Conley Jr.
  • Vince Carter (Epic)
  • Zach Randolph

Miami Heat

  • LeBron James (Legend)
  • Shaquille O'Neal (Legend)
  • Alonzo Mourning (Epic)
  • Chris Bosh
  • Dwayne Wade (Epic)
  • Gary Payton (Epic)
  • Goran Dragic
  • Hassan Whiteside
  • Jamal Mashburn
  • Josh Richardson
  • Justise Winslow
  • Tim Hardaway
  • Tyler Johnson

Milwaukee Bucks

  • Bob Lanier (Legend)
  • Dave Cowens (Legend)
  • Oscar Robertson (Legend)
  • Adrian Dentley (Epic)
  • Giannis Antetokounmpo (Epic)
  • Greg Monroe
  • Jabari Parker
  • Khris Middleton
  • Malcolm Brogdon
  • Michael Beasley
  • Ray Allen (Epic)
  • Thon Maker
  • Tiny Archibald (Epic)

Minnesota Timberwolves

New York Knicks

  • Bernard King (Legend)
  • Dave DeBusschere (Legend)
  • Earl Monroe (Legend)
  • Jerry Lucas (Legend)
  • Carmelo Anthony (Epic)
  • Derrick Rose
  • Joakim Noah
  • John Starks
  • Kristaps Porrzingis
  • Larry Johnson (Epic)
  • Patrick Ewing (Epic)
  • Phil Jackson
  • Walt Frazier (Epic)
  • Willis Reed (Epic)
  • Willy Hernangomez

Oklahoma City Thunder

Orlando Magic

  • Shaquille O'Neal (Legend)
  • Aaron Gordon
  • Anfernee Hardaway
  • Bismack Biyombo
  • Dwight Howard
  • Elfrid Payton
  • Evan Fournier
  • Grant Hill
  • Jeff Green
  • Jonathan Isaac
  • Nikola Vacevic
  • Tracy McGrady (Epic)

Philadelphia 76ers

  • Allen Iverson (Legend)
  • Hal Greer (Legend)
  • Julius Erving (Legend)
  • Wilt Chamberlain (Legend)
  • Ben Simmons
  • Billy Cunningham
  • Bobby Jones (Epic)
  • Dario Saric
  • Doug Collins
  • Jahlil Okafor
  • Joel Emblid
  • Markelle Fultz (Epic)

Phoenix Suns

  • Shaquille O'Neal (Legend)
  • Steve Nash (Legend)
  • Alex Len
  • Brandon Knight
  • Cedric Ceballos
  • Devin Booker
  • Dragan Bender
  • Eric Bledsoe
  • Goran Dragic
  • Grant Hill
  • Jason Kidd (Epic)
  • Josh Jackson
  • Kevin Johnson
  • Larry Nance (Epic)
  • Marquese Chriss
  • Shawn Marion
  • Tyson Chandler

Portland Trail Blazers

  • Al-Farouq Aminu
  • Arvydas Sabonis
  • Bill Walton
  • CJ McCollum
  • Clyde Drexler
  • Damian Lillard
  • Detlef Schrempf (Epic)
  • Evan Turner
  • LaMarcus Aldridge (Epic)
  • Lenny Wilkens

Sacremento Kings

  • Jerry Lucas (Legend)
  • Oscar Robertson (Legend)
  • Ben McLemore
  • Buddy Hield
  • Chris Webber (Epic)
  • De'Aaron Fox
  • DeMarcus Cousins (Epic)
  • Mitch Richmond
  • Rudy Gay
  • Ty Lawson
  • Tyreke Evans

San Antonio Spurs

Toronto Raptors

Utah Jazz

  • Karl Malone (Legend)
  • Pete Maravich (Legend)
  • Boris Diaw
  • Derrick Favors
  • George Hall
  • Gordon Hayward
  • Joe Johnson (Epic)
  • John Stockton (Epic)
  • Rodney Hood
  • Rudy Gobert

Washington Wizards

  • Elvin Hayes (Legends)
  • Wes Unseld (Legends)
  • Bradley Beal
  • Brandon Jennings
  • Ian Mahinmi
  • John Wall (Epic)
  • Manute Bol
  • Marcin Gortat
  • Muggsy Bogues (Epic)
  • Otto Porter Jr.
  • Trey Burke

Seattle SuperSonics

The Playgrounders

System Requirements

PC

PC MinimumPC Recommended
  • Operating System: Windows 7 64-bit, Windows 8.1 64-bit or Windows 10 64-bit
  • Processor: Intel core i3 CPU 530 2.93GHz
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: GeForce GT 630
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 7 GB available space
  • Sound Card: DirectX 9.0x compatible sound card

  • Operating System: Windows 7 64-bit, Windows 8.1 64-bit or Windows 10 64-bit
  • Processor: Intel Core i5-4690 3.50 Ghz or better
  • Memory: 8 GB RAM
  • Graphics: GeForce GTX 670, similar or better
  • DirectX: Version 11
  • Storage: 7 GB available space
  • Sound Card: DirectX 9.0x compatible sound card

External Links

Column Head

NBA Playgrounds

Game Details

Name
NBA Playgrounds
Release Date
2017-05-08
Genre
Sports
Developer
Saber Interactive
Publisher
Saber Interactive
Platform
PC
Xbox One
PlayStation 4
Nintendo Switch