NBA Street

Overview

NBA Street fuses the star power of the NBA with the showmanship of streetball. The game consists of three-on-three games to 21 points, where inside shots and dunks count as a single point and long-range shots count for two. Players are also encouraged to rack up trick points, which you can get from tricky ball handling combined with flashy dunks. Once the player racks up enough trick points, a “gamebreaker” can be initiated. Gamebreakers are special shots/dunks that add to your score, subtract from the opposition’s score, are guaranteed to go in, and are given a mini cutscene for effect. NBA Street also features a “Create a Baller” mode in which you create your own character to play as. As the players' team defeats each NBA team, the player can either choose an NBA player from the team they just beat, or opt to take "development points" to make their created player better. By the end of the game, the player will have all the best NBA and street players at their disposal.

Street Legends

In story mode, the player must defeat that court’s “Street Legend.” They act as bosses, and can be added to your squad once you defeat them.

• Biggs – A heavyweight boxer out of London, Biggs is not just a clever title. He is the most powerful Street Legend, and can block shots pretty good too.
• Bonafide - A shorter, harder Allen Iverson.
• Drake – A Nick Carter-looking three-point shooter with special ball handling skills. Dude can't dunk. Drake is also featured in Def Jam Vendetta.
• DJ – The Jamaican Dr. J. Or Michael Jordan. Or whomever you believe to be the best dunker the NBA has seen. This is the Jamaican version of him.
• Takashi – It’s Yao Ming, but Japanese. Which is ironic because Yao Ming wasn't in the NBA yet. At 7'8", he’s good at blocking shots.
• Stretch – Looking much like Dr. J, Stretch is the father of streetball. Looks good in short shorts. He's on the cover.

Soundtrack

• The Herbaliser featuring Blade - Who's the Realist (Blade Version)
• The Herbaliser - "Who's the Realist" (Very Mercenary Mix)
• The Herbaliser - "Control Centre"
• The Herbaliser - "Wall Crawling Giant Insect Breaks"
• The Herbaliser - "The Blend" (No Vocal Edit)
• London Funk All Stars - "The Chase"
• London Funk All Stars - "What's In The Basket"
• Dynamic Syncopation - "Bahian B-Boy"
• Dynamic Syncopation featuring Juice Aleem - "The Plan"
• Dynamic Syncopation - "Dynamism"
• Dynamic Syncopation - "Rock"
• DJ Food - "Dark Lady"
• DJ Food - "Moody Drawer"
• Up Bustle and Out - "The Educators"
• 9 Lazy 9 - "Swingpool"

Dynamic Soundtrack

NBA Street featured a dynamic soundtrack that would change on the fly depending on the pace of the game. The more tricks and points you achieve, the music tempo will increase and match your on screen actions. If the game is slow paced and no big tricks combos are completed, then expect a mellow soundtrack.

Critical Reception

When the PS2 version was released Game Informer gave the review scores of 9.25 and 9.25. Matt Helgeson wrote, "...playground basketball gets a much-needed jolt of energy with the release of NBA Street. Put simply, this game is a joy to play, and it's fluid control, sharp AI, and wealth of special moves make precursors like NBA Jam look silly by comparison... some of the best animation I've ever seen in a sports game, a number of great play modes, and a cool reward system, NBA Street is an early frontrunner for Sports Game of the Year".

Justin added, "...modes, commentary, graphics, AI and every other facet couldn't be much better. A manual replay feature is about the only thing I could ask for... my favorite PS2 game thus far...".