Friday, NBA 2K26 will add college-themed content, featuring players from 16 different schools. All told, more than 40 active college players will be included, according to NBA 2K.<\/p>\n
Season 5 of NBA 2K26 will include playable MyTeam cards and wearable jerseys for The City. A total of 16 schools will be part of the game: Arizona<\/a>, Baylor<\/a>, Duke<\/a>, Florida<\/a>, Houston<\/a>, Kansas<\/a>, Kentucky<\/a>, Louisville<\/a>, Michigan<\/a>, Michigan State<\/a>, North Carolina<\/a>, Ohio State<\/a>, Purdue<\/a>, Texas<\/a>, UCLA<\/a> and UConn<\/a>. Each school has representatives from both its men\u2019s and women\u2019s programs.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE to the On3 NIL and Sports Business Newsletter<\/a><\/p>\n Duke star Cameron Boozer<\/a> and UCLA star Lauren Betts<\/a> were featured in the initial announcement<\/a>. Here is the total list of 40 men\u2019s and women\u2019s basketball players featured in NBA 2K26, along with their respective school, via NBA 2K.<\/p>\n Arizona<\/p>\n Men\u2019s: Koa Peat<\/a><\/p>\n Women\u2019s: Nora Francois<\/p>\n Baylor<\/p>\n Duke<\/p>\n Florida<\/p>\n Houston<\/p>\n Kansas<\/p>\n Kentucky<\/p>\n Louisville<\/p>\n Michigan<\/p>\n Michigan State<\/p>\n North Carolina<\/p>\n Ohio State<\/p>\n Purdue<\/p>\n Texas<\/p>\n UCLA<\/p>\n UConn<\/p>\n Friday\u2019s addition of current college players will mark the first time active collegiate athletes will appear in a basketball video game since 2007 when College Hoops 2K8 released. In 2024, college football became the first major video game to come back as the NIL<\/a> era officially began. EA Sports College Football 25 became a rousing success as one of the top-selling video games of the year.<\/p>\n Initially, EA Sports made a push<\/a> for a college basketball game after the success of the College Football franchise\u2019s return in 2024. EA ultimately withdrew its plans<\/a> after schools chose to go with 2K Sports. Sports Business Journal reported in July 2025 that 2K was also planning a standalone college basketball game<\/a>.<\/p>\n How college players will be featured in NBA 2K26<\/p>\n In NBA 2K26, users will receive a \u201cCollege Celebration Box,\u201d which features five free agent option packs. Each pack will include current college players, with the ability to choose one card to build a starting lineup.<\/p>\n Alumni cards will also be available to include current NBA and WNBA players from their college years to honor their college roots. Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant<\/a> and Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers<\/a> are among the headliners in the trailer released Wednesday.<\/p>\n