Why Isn’t There a Butt Slapping Feature in NBA 2K Games?

You know how sometimes you’re playing a video game, and you get random thoughts about small features it might be missing that would make it a more realistic experience. This happens to me often, especially when playing a sports game.

I was playing a heated game of No Squads Rec today, and something just hit me out of the blue. One of the most common gestures of acknowledgement in real-life basketball is not included in NBA 2K, and it never has been. Correct me if I am wrong, but has any NBA 2K game ever had a butt-slapping feature?

Just pause, and think about it. How many times do you see an NBA player giving another player a slight pat on his butt after he makes a good play, or as a gesture of peace after a hard foul?

It’s not clear how butt slapping became a part of basketball, but it’s a tradition that has been around for over 40 years at this point. Remember the butt-slapping war that Grant Hill and Reggie Evans got ejected for after slapping each other’s butts too many times?

The Probable Reason a Butt Slapping Feature isn’t in NBA 2K24

Just pause, and imagine if you could give your teammate a slight tap on the butt after they hit a crazy three-pointer. Or maybe after they posterized the opposing team’s center with an undersized shooting guard. That would add a new level of realism to the game.

However, there is one issue that probably has kept 2K developers from implementing it as an emote. We all know the 2K community probably has the most trolls of any gaming franchise.

Just think about how many times people do the flop as a taunt during games, to the point of giving up easy baskets while their character is stuck in a ridiculously long flopping animation.

Now imagine if there was a butt-slapping feature added to NBA 2K. There is no doubt you would have many players that go around trying to slap people all game long just to be a nuisance.

Then 2K developers would be bombarded with complaints about butt hitting spam.

While it probably won’t happen let’s pause for moment, and think about how hilarious it would be if NBA 2K25’s selling point is a new butt-slapping feature.