NBA 2K23 Badges - list of new & removed badges

In NBA 2K23 Badges have gone through a significant change from its predecessor. While it still gives you additional skills, 2K has opted for a tiered badge system that separates each badge per category. This guide will help you better understand badges in NBA 2K23 so you can create your own build.

NBA 2K23 Badges List

There are plenty of NBA 2K23 badges that are separated into different tiers. We’ve created this list that will show you the available badges, however this list isn’t exhaustive as of yet and we may get more added soon. Here are all the badges available in NBA 2K23 separated per category:

NBA 2K23 Finishing Badges

Aerial Wizard: Ability to successfully complete alley–oops and putbacks.
Acrobat: Boosts the ability to hit high degree of difficulty layups. Spin, half-spin, hop step, euro-step, cradle, reverse and change shot layup attempts receive a significant boost. Additionally, the ability to beat defenders with these gathers is improved.
Backdown Punisher: Increases the chances of a player successfully backing down their opponent. Allows players to have more success than normal when backing down a defender in the paint.
Bully: Like Giannis and LeBron, able to finish strong by bulldozing through traffic.
Dream Shake: Raises the chances that a defender bites when doing fakes in the post. Post move fakes have a higher chance of stunning a defender. Also, shot attempts following post moves and shot fakes have an increased shot percentage.
Dropstepper: Improves a player’s ability to effectively use dropsteps in the post. Allows for more success when attempting post dropsteps and hop steps, in addition to protecting the ball better while performing these moves in the post.
Fast Twitch: Speeds up the ability to get standing layups or dunks off before the defense has time to contest.
Fearless Finisher: Improves a player’s ability to convert contact layups. Strengthens a player’s ability to absorb contact and still finish. Also reduces the amount of energy lost from contact layups.
Giant Slayer: Heightens the effectiveness of layups over taller defenders. Boosts the shot percentage for a layup attempt when mismatched against a taller defender and reduces the possibility of getting blocked.
Grace Under Pressure: Gives a boost to standing shots that happen close to the basket.
Limitless Takeoff: When attacking the basket, a player with this badge will start their dunk or layup gather from farther out than others.
Lob City Finisher: Improves the chances of completing a successful alley-oop dunk/layup. Improves a player’s ability to successfully finish an alley-oop layup or dunk. The shot must be taken before the receiver lands.
Masher: Increases ability to finish inside layups over defenders.
Mouse In The House: When attacking a smaller defender, there will be a higher change of successfully finishing.
Post Spin Technician: Improves the ability of a post spin or drive to work effectively. Attempting to do post spins or drives result in more effective moves, and less of a chance to be stripped.
Posterizer: Improves the likelihood of posterizing your opponent.
Pro Touch: Gives an additional boost for having good layup timing. Gives an extra shot boost for having slightly early, slightly late, or excellent shot timing on layups.
Putback Boss: Increases shot percentage when attempting a putback after an offensive rebound. Boosts the shot attributes of a player that attempts a putback layup or dunk right after getting an offensive rebound.
Rise Up: Makes it easier to dunk when under the basket.
Slithery: Makes it easier to gather through traffic, avoiding collisions and strips.
Tear Dropper: Increases the chance of hitting floaters and runners. Improves a player’s ability to knock down floaters and runners.
Unstrippable: When attacking the basket and performing a layup or dunk, the chances of being stripped are reduced.

NBA 2K23 Shooting Badges

Agent 3: Ability to hit difficult 3PT shots off the dribble.
Amped: Reduces the shooting attribute penalties when fatigued and when moving excessively prior to shooting.
Blinders: Becomes unfazed by defenders from the side. Jump shots taken with a defender closing out in their peripheral vision will suffer a lower penalty.
Catch and Shoot: Boosts the chance of hitting a jump shot immediately after a catch. For a short time after receiving a pass, the receiver’s outside shooting attributes get a significant boost.
Claymore: Increases a spot up shooter’s ability to knock down catch and shoot jumpers the longer they remain stationary prior to shooting.
Clutch Shooter: Increases the ability to knock down shots in clutch moments. Shot attempts that occur during the final moments of the 4th quarter, or in any overtime period, receive a large boost.
Comeback Kid: Improved ability to shoot perimeter jumpers when trailing in a game.
Corner Specialist: Gives a boost to shots taken near the corner. Deep mid-range or 3PT shots taken along the baseline of the court receive a boost, whether it is off the dribble or off a catch.
Deadeye: Reduces the impact of a defender who is closing out. Jump shots taken with a defender closing out receive less of a penalty from a shot contest. This includes both mid-range and 3PT shots.
Difficult Shots: Improves the ability to shoot difficult shots off the dribble. High difficulty jumpers such as hop steps, spins, stepbacks, and pull-ups receive a shot percentage boost.
Fade Ace: Improves ability to shoot post fades. Shot boost to post fadeaways taken from ANY distance.
Green Machine: Increases the bonus given for consecutive excellent releases. Gives an additional shot boost when consecutively achieving excellent releases on jump shots.
Hand Down Man Down: Makes an outside shooter even deadlier if opponent fails to get a hand in the face.
Limitless Range: Shooters are more effective with any shot attempt from deep 3PT range.
Middy Magician: Improved ability to knock down mid-range jumpers off the bounce or out of the post like MJ.
Rhythm Shooter: Improves shots taken after breaking down your defender. Increases the chances of a made shot after sizing up your opponent with dribble moves.
Slipper Off-Ball: Strengthens the player’s ability to get open off the ball. When attempting to get open off screens, the player more effectively navigates through traffic.
Space Creator: Improved ability to hit stepback jumpers and hop shots, and also will cause defenders to stumble more often.
Stop and Pop: Boosts shot rating on stand-still three pointers after dribbling. Boosts shot rating on stand-still three pointers after dribbling.
Volume Shooter: Boosts shot percentages as shot attempts accrue throughout the game. After a player has taken a small handful of shots, an additional boost to shot attributes is given for every subsequent shot, whether it’s a make or a miss.

NBA 2K23 Playmaking Badges

Ankle Breaker: Improves the likelihood of freezing or dropping a defender during dribble moves. When performing stepbacks and other certain moves, the defender stumbles or falls more frequently when biting the wrong way.
Bail Out: Increases the chances of successfully completing a pass from mid-air. Passing out of a jump shot or layup yields fewer errant passes than normal.
Break Starter: Improves a player’s ability to make effective outlet passes after grabbing a rebound. After grabbing a defensive board, deep outlet passes made up the court are more accurate. Passes must be made quickly following the defensive rebound.
Clamp Breaker: Helps ball handlers win more 1-on-1 body bump confrontations (the counter to Clamps).
Dimer: Boosts the shot percentage for open teammates on jump shots after catching a pass. When in the half-court, passes by Dimers to open shooters yield a shot percentage boost.
Floor General: Teammates receive an offensive attribute bonus when player is in the game. Gives offensive attribute boosts to teammates when on the floor. Also, at the Hall of Fame level, can see teammates` potential shot percentages while on offense.
Handles For Days: Reduces the amount of energy lost when performing dribble moves. A player takes less of an energy hit when performing consecutive dribble moves, allowing them to chain together combos quicker for longer periods of time.
Hyperdrive: Increases the speed at which a player can perform moving dribble moves as they attack down the court.
Killer Combos: Improves a dribbler’s effectiveness with size-up dribble moves (basically a combination of last year’s Quick Chain and Tight Handles badges).
Mismatch Expert: Helps smaller guards break down taller defenders when mismatched 1-on-1 (formerly a shooting badge).
Needle Threader: Increases the likelihood that tough passes can get by the defense. When passing through a tight window between defenders, a boost is given to the player’s passing ability.
Post Playmaker: When passing out of the post or after an offensive rebound, receivers are given a shot boost.
Quick Chain: A player with this badge can quickly put together a series of moves while sizing up their opponent.
Quick First Step: Provides more explosive first steps out of triple threat and size-ups. When driving out of triple threat or after a size-up, ball handlers have access to quicker and more effective launches.
Special Delivery: Gives boost to passer and receiver’s takeover meter following a flashy pass if the shot goes in. Takeover boost for both the passer and receiver after a flashy assist. Additionally, this badge increases alley-oop throw success and shot chance for receivers after a flashy pass.
Tight Handles: Improves a player’s ability to break down their defender. Increases a player’s ball handling ability in size-up situations, making it easier to break down the on-ball defender.
Triple Threat Jake: Speeds up triple threat moves when trying to blow by the defender, raising the likelihood of freezing your opponent.
Unpluckable: Reduces the chances of getting stripped by the defender. When performing dribble moves, defenders have a tougher time poking the ball free with their steal attempts.
Vice Grip: Improves ball security immediately after securing a rebound, catch, or picking up the ball. Great badge for bigs!

NBA 2K23 Defense Badges

Anchor: A crucial badge for last line of defense bigs, improves ability to block and contest shots in the paint.
Ankle Braces: Reduces the chances of getting crossed over. Lowers the likelihood of getting ankle-broken by opposing dribble moves.
Ball Stripper: Helps increase the chance of a steal when attempting to strip a layup or dunk near the basket.
Box: Improves player’s ability to box out opponents. Strengthens a player’s ability to effectively box out opponents in anticipation of a rebound.
Boxout Beast: Helps rebounders win boxout battles on both offensive and defensive rebounding situations.
Brick Wall: This badge makes it tougher for defenders to get around screens and harder for offensive players to back you down. Players hit by contact from a Brick Wall lose more energy than normal. At the Hall of Fame level, this player sets vicious screens in the park and blacktop.
Challenger: Improves the effectiveness of perimeter shot contests.
Chase Down Artist: Raises the chances of getting a chase-down block. Boosts the speed and leaping ability of a player when he is chasing down an offensive player in anticipation of a block attempt.
Clamps: Defenders have access to quicker cut off moves and are more successful when bumping or hip riding the ball handler.
Glove: Named after legendary defender Gary Payton, helps you strip players as they gather for shots and poke the ball free from ball handlers.
Hustler: Improves the ability to beat opponents to loose balls.
Interceptor: Increases chances at getting steals in passing lanes. The frequency of successfully tipped or intercepted passes greatly increases.
Menace: While guarding and staying in front of an opponent, their attributes will drop if good defense is being played.
Off-Ball Pest: Makes players more difficult to get past when playing off-ball, as they can grab and hold their matchup and don’t get their ankles broken as often.
Pick Dodger: Improves a player’s ability to navigate through screens effectively on defense.
Pick Pocket: Improves a player’s ability to steal the ball from a ball handler. Increases the chances of a steal and reduces the chances of a foul when attempting to strip the ball from a ball handler. Also improves the chances of successful layup strips.
Pogo Stick: Improves the ability to attempt multiple blocks in succession. Allows players to quickly go back up for another block attempt upon landing.
Post Lockdown: Strengthens a player’s ability to effectively defend moves in the post, with an increased chance at stripping the opponent.
Rebound Chaser: Improves a player’s ability to track down rebounds from farther distances than normal.
Rim Protector: Improves ability to block shots, gives boost to the Takeover meter for blocker/teammates. Improves player’s ability to block shots, unlocks special block animations and gives boost to the Takeover meter for the blocker and blocker’s teammates following a block.
Tireless Defense: Allows defenders to play defense more aggressively without losing energy at the same rate as a normal player.
Worm: When boxed out, rebounders have more success swimming around and getting into successful rebound position.
Work Horse: The Pat Bev badge that boosts your ability to hustle down 50/50 balls and play hard-nosed defense without getting tired.

NBA 2K23 Removed Badges

These NBA 2K23 badges have been removed from the list:

Bullet Passer
Chef
Circus Threes
Defensive Leader
Downhill
Glue Hands
Hook Specialist
Hot Zone Hunter
Intimidator
Limitless Spot-Up
Lucky #7
Set Shooter
Sniper
Stop and Go

How Do Badges Work in NBA 2K23?

The NBA 2K23 badges are separated into separate tiers. Tier 1 being the weakest and Tier 3 being the strongest. There 16 badges per attribute category with Tier 1 having 8 badges and Tier 2 & 3 having 4 each. This will be a deciding factor on your badge builds for NBA 2K23.

Now each attribute category does have a Core Badge that you can fill with badges that do not count towards overall badge points. Every badge has a requirement that you can fulfill that will allow you to place it into a core badge slot.

How to Unlock Badges in NBA 2K23?

You can unlock Badges by purchasing them with Badge Points. You earn badge points by doing certain moves and skills. You can then exchange these points for the badges you want.

That’s everything you need to know about NBA 2K23 Badges. We hope you found this article to be informative. We have more NBA 2K23 content to check out.

Check out this Youtube video from the official 2K channel showing a gameplay of MyCAREER.