Did You Know Mario is in NBA 2k22?

NBA 2k22 is probably one of the worst 2K basketball games ever made especially considering how perfect NBA 2k20 was. Whether it’s the ridiculously unrealistic three point shooting, the ridiculously unrealistic blocking system, people literally just running left and right over and over again due to cheesy three point shooting system, or the annoyingly unnecessarily big city on next-gen, 2k22 is basically a money grab that caters to spammers who like spending money so they can spam even more effectively. Nevertheless it’s a game that keeps delivering surprises despite the fact the next iteration is coming out in about 4 months. The most recent surprise people have discovered is the legendary Nintendo video game character Mario hidden within the game.

Details on How Mario is in NBA 2k22

Now you’re probably wondering how is Mario in NBA 2k22, and they haven’t got hit with lawsuit. There doesn’t seem to be any indication that 2K sports paid Nintendo to have Mario’s likeness in the game. However, he’s in the game in a way you probably wouldn’t guess. If there is one thing that 2K gets right it’s the intricate details about NBA player’s tattoos, even the ones most people don’t see in real life.

Apparently Oklahoma City Thunder player Mike Muscala has a Mario tattoo on his left shoulder blade, and 2K put it in the game. Based on how it looks it appears to be Mario from the 8 bit Nintendo game Super Mario Bros. 3, where he had the raccoon suit power up that gave him the ability to glide through the air. It’s not clear why Mike Muscala got that tattoo, but probably because he loves the game or is paying homage to his childhood. Take a look.

In the past some game companies have ran into legal trouble, because of the type of tattoos players have on their skin. Usually those legal battles were related to the tattoo artist claiming they owned the rights to the tattoo they put on an athlete’s body.

Does that mean that technically Nintendo still owns the rights to Mike Muscala’s tattoo, because it is direct replica of Mario? Hopefully they never complain, because it’s really cool to see Mario in NBA 2k22.