Looking for the best Badges in NBA 2K23? Badges are effectively equippable perks which boost the performance of players on the court, and are a particularly important consideration when designing your MyPlayer Build for MyCareer. Depending on what kind of build you create, you'll gain access to a variety of different Badges which can then be unlocked and used to buff your MyPlayer. All of our Best Builds include recommended Badges based on their playstyle and Attributes.

NBA 2K23: Best Badges

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While there's no definitive answer to the best Badges in NBA 2K23, we do have some recommendations, as part of our NBA 2K23 guide. It should be stressed, however, that the best Badges for you will depend specifically on your build and playstyle. If you're the kind of player that likes to drain threes from distance, then you should probably be looking to equip Limitless Range, but if you're a big dunker then you may be more interested in Posterizer. Of course, if you're a versatile player then you may potentially be considering both!

The good news is that as you progress through your MyCareer, you can more or less experiment with Badges and find what works best for you. The most important part is getting your build right in the first place, so that you have enough Badge Points to play around with as you progress. It's generally considered better to have a build with as many potential Badge Points available as possible, although you also need your Attributes to determine whether you can equip them and if you'll have access to the Best Animations and Jumpshots. Again, we've tried to take as much of this into account as possible in our Best Builds, but there's not a perfect science here and you'll need to tinker to find what works best for you.

One other thing worth keeping in mind is that the physical attributes of your MyPlayer, such as height and wingspan, will determine which tier specific Badges appear in. This means it'll be more expensive to purchase some Badges on one build than another. To mitigate this, you can equip one Core Badge in each category which comes at no cost, as long as you'd be able to afford it under ordinary circumstances.

Best Finishing Badges

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Finishing Badge Description New-Gen Attribute Requirements Notes
Bully Improves a player's ability to initiate contact and get to the rim on layup attempts.
Bronze
74 Strength
Silver
82 Strength
Gold
89 Strength
Hall of Fame
95 Strength
Bully pairs nicely with Fearless Finisher and is a great badge if you're looking to, er, bully your opponents in the paint.
Fearless Finisher Strengthens the player's ability to absorb contact and still finish. Also reduces the amount of energy lost from contact layups.
Bronze
65 Close Shot or 67 Driving Layup
Silver
75 Close Shot or 77 Driving Layup
Gold
84 Close Shot or 87 Driving Layup
Hall of Fame
93 Close Shot or 97 Driving Layup
If you're the type of player who likes to burst into the paint for layups, whether it's by breaking ankles or using screens, Fearless Finisher will help you to get the easy baskets even against taller and stronger defenders.
Limitless Takeoff When attacking the basket, a player with this badge will start their dunk attempt from farther out than others.
Bronze
65 Driving Dunk
Silver
79 Driving Dunk
Gold
86 Driving Dunk
Hall of Fame
96 Driving Dunk
If you're going for those big highlighter posterizer plays, then you'll want to have Limitless Takeoff equipped, as this badge will transform you into a true sky walker.
Posterizer Increases the chances of throwing down a dunk on your defender.
Bronze
72 Driving Dunk
Silver
85 Driving Dunk
Gold
93 Driving Dunk
Hall of Fame
99 Driving Dunk
With defense a constant challenge in NBA 2K23, Posterizer will allow you to bully defenders, but does come at a high cost if you want to upgrade to Hall of Fame.
Rise Up Increases the likelihood of dunking or posterizing your opponent when standing in the painted area.
Bronze
None
Silver
80 Stranding Dunk
Gold
90 Stranding Dunk
Hall of Fame
98 Stranding Dunk
Dunks are basically guaranteed points, so when you're in the paint and about to finish, ideally you're going to want to throw it down. Rise Up will help you to secure those easy baskets for your team and pairs nicely with Posterizer.
Slithery Increases a player's ability to slide through traffic, protect the ball from being stolen, and avoid contact during gathers and finishes at the rim.
Bronze
69 Driving Layup or 70 Driving Dunk
Silver
79 Driving Layup or 84 Driving Dunk
Gold
89 Driving Layup or 92 Driving Dunk
Hall of Fame
99 Driving Layup or 98 Driving Dunk
With the defense being difficult to overcome in NBA 2K23, Slithery is a helpful badge that will aid you in getting to the basket and finishing. This is a good one to pair with Fearless Finisher if you're making a lot of drives to the rim.

Best Shooting Badges

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Shooting Badge
Description
New-Gen Attribute Requirements
Notes
Agent 3 Improves the ability to make pull-up or spin shots from three-point range.
Bronze
68 Three-Point Shot
Silver
83 Three-Point Shot
Gold
89 Three-Point Shot
Hall of Fame
96 Three-Point Shot
If you're the kind of player who likes taking step-backs and spins to beat defenders, then Agent 3 will help you drink more three-points from these kind of scenarios.
Amped Reduces the penalty that fatigue has on a player and their ability to make shots.
Bronze
59 Mid-Range Shot or 70 Three-Point Shot
Silver
70 Mid-Range Shot or 75 Three-Point Shot
Gold
78 Mid-Range Shot or 82 Three-Point Shot
Hall of Fame
85 Mid-Range Shot or 90 Three-Point Shot
If you're the kind of player that enjoys turboing all over the court and popping off shots at any opportunity, Amped can help you keep your shooting accurate even when you're fatiguing.
Blinders
Jump shots taken with a defender closing out in their peripheral vision will suffer a lower penalty.
Bronze
65 Mid-Range Shot or 70 Three-Point Shot
Silver
77 Mid-Range Shot or 80 Three-Point Shot
Gold
84 Mid-Range Shot or 89 Three-Point Shot
Hall of Fame
94 Mid-Range Shot or 97 Three-Point Shot
Unless you're permanently wide open, you're going to find defenders closing you down in most possessions. Blinders will help you to knock down shots even when there's movement in your peripheral vision.
Deadeye
Jump shots taken with the defender closing out receive less of a penalty from a shot contest.
Bronze
71 Three-Point Shot
Silver
82 Three-Point Shot
Gold
91 Three-Point Shot
Hall of Fame
99 Three-Point Shot
It's not always possible to engineer offensive scenarios where you're wide open, and, inevitably, that means there are going to be times where you'll need to take shots while being contested. Deadeye will counter that.
Green Machine Gives an additional shot boost when consecutively achieving excellent releases on jump shots.
Bronze
60 Mid-Range Shot or 60 Three-Point Shot
Silver
71 Mid-Range Shot or 73 Three-Point Shot
Gold
80 Mid-Range Shot or 82 Three-Point Shot
Hall of Fame
90 Mid-Range Shot or 91 Three-Point Shot
If you're confident in your ability to hit well-timed shots, then Green Machine is a no-brainer for frequent shooters. This is going to significantly boost your attributes the more greens you shoot.
Limitless Range
Extends the range from which a player can shoot three-pointers effectively from deep.
Bronze
74 Three-Point Shot
Silver
85 Three-Point Shot
Gold
92 Three-Point Shot
Hall of Fame
99 Three-Point Shot
Allows you to drain three-pointers from way down town.

Best Playmaking Badges

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Playmaking Badge
Description
New-Gen Attribute Requirements
Notes
Ankle Breaker When performing stepbacks and other certain moves, the defender stumbles or falls more frequently when biting the wrong.
Bronze
None
Silver
65 Ball Handle
Gold
71 Ball Handle
Hall of Fame
81 Ball Handle
There are few things better in basketball than luring a defender into your path and then blowing by them. Ankle Breaker does exactly what it says on the tin: helps you to embarrass defenders and engineer wide-open looks.
Bail Out
Passing out of a jump shot or layup yields fewer errant passes than normal. Additionally, helps passing out of double teams.
Bronze
65 Pass Accuracy
Silver
78 Pass Accuracy
Gold
85 Pass Accuracy
Hall of Fame
94 Pass Accuracy
If you're getting to the basket but finding yourself either double teamed or covered, then Bail Out can be a good Badge to help you to actively pivot and setup a teammate with a wide open look. This is a great Badge to combine with Dimer.
Clamp Breaker Improves a player's ability to fight off contact, protect the ball, and drive by opponents as the ball-handler.
Bronze
64 Ball Handle
Silver
77 Ball Handle
Gold
87 Ball Handle
Hall of Fame
96 Ball Handle
Ball security is an important asset in any NBA star's repertoire, and Clamp Breaker will help you squeeze through strong defenses, retaining possession of the ball.
Dimer
When in the half-court, passes by Dimers to open shooters yield a shot percentage boost.
Bronze
None
Silver
69 Pass Accuracy
Gold
80 Pass Accuracy
Hall of Fame
85 Pass Accuracy
If you're a playmaker looking to facilitate teammates and significantly boost their shooting ratings, then Dimer will make you a deadly assister.
Handles for Days A player takes less of an energy hit when performing consecutive dribble moves, allowing them to chain together combos quicker and for longer periods of time.
Bronze
70 Ball Handle
Silver
85 Ball Handle
Gold
94 Ball Handle
Hall of Fame
99 Ball Handle
If you like to perform lots of dribbling moves, then you're going to take a huge energy hit for showboating. Handles for Days will help mitigate that, allowing you to move the ball about without taking the penalty to your energy.
Hyperdrive Increases the speed at which a player can perform moving dribbling moves as they attack down the court.
Bronze
59 Ball Handle or 55 Speed with Ball
Silver
69 Ball Handle or 67 Speed with Ball
Gold
83 Ball Handle or 80 Speed with Ball
Hall of Fame
92 Ball Handle or 90 Speed with Ball
Driving down the court at speed is an essential attribute for certain positions on the NBA court, and Hyperdrive will help you to attack a pace. This pairs well with Handles for Days.
Quick First Step
When driving out of triple threat or after a size-up, ball handlers have access to a quicker, and more effective, launches.
Bronze
80 Post Control or 70 Ball Handle or 66 Speed with Ball
Silver
87 Post Control or 77 Ball Handle or 76 Speed with Ball
Gold
94 Post Control or 85 Ball Handle or 84 Speed with Ball
Hall of Fame
99 Post Control or 89 Ball Handle or 88 Speed with Ball
Quick First Step makes it incredibly difficult for defenders to stay in front of you, so if you consider yourself a dribbler this will help you to fake-out opponents and leave them in the dust.
Unpluckable Defenders have a tougher time poking the ball free with their steal attempts.
Bronze
65 Post Control or 65 Ball Handle
Silver
75 Post Control or 75 Ball Handle
Gold
84 Post Control or 84 Ball Handle
Hall of Fame
95 Post Control or 95 Ball Handle
Unpluckable pairs well with Clamp Breaker. Ball security is pivotal in basketball, so stick this Badge on to help protect you from prolific stealers.

Best Defense / Rebounding Badges

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Defense / Rebounding Badges
Description
New-Gen Attribute Requirements
Notes
Anchor Increases a player's ability to block shots and protect the rim at a high level.
Bronze
None
Silver
87 Block
Gold
93 Block
Hall of Fame
99 Block
Pairs nicely with Chase Down Artist, Anchor is great for bigs who want to dominate beneath the basket.
Challenger Improves effectiveness of well-timed contest against perimeter shooters.
Bronze
69 Perimeter Defense
Silver
79 Perimeter Defense
Gold
86 Perimeter Defense
Hall of Fame
95 Perimeter Defense
If you're going to be spending a lot of time defending on the perimeter, then Challenger can help your effectiveness in these situations.
Chase Down Artist
Boosts the speed and leaping ability of a player when chasing down an offensive player in anticipation of a block attempt.
Bronze
None
Silver
59 Block
Gold
75 Block
Hall of Fame
88 Block
A good badge to pair with Rebound Chaser, blocking is extremely satisfying and Chase Down Artist will help you to get into position to swat away those shots.
Clamps
Defenders have access to quicker cut off moves and are more successful when bumping or hip riding the ball handler.
Bronze
70 Perimeter Defense
Silver
86 Perimeter Defense
Gold
92 Perimeter Defense
Hall of Fame
97 Perimeter Defense
Defense is already really strong in NBA 2K23 by design, but with Clamps you're going to severely impede quick and nimble players who try to dribble past you for easy layups and dunks.
Interceptor
The frequency of successfully tipped or intercepted passes greatly increases.
Bronze
58 Steal
Silver
78 Steal
Gold
90 Steal
Hall of Fame
99 Steal
The best offense is defense, as we all know, and sometimes you can crush a team by taking possession away from them. Whether it's intercepting the ball entirely, or simply affecting the trajectory of a pass so that a teammate can make a play, the Interceptor Badge will help put your team in the best position to win.
Rebound Chaser
Improves a player's ability to track down rebounds from further distances than normal.
Bronze
None
Silver
85 Offensive Rebound Shot or 85 Defensive Rebound
Gold
93 Offensive Rebound Shot or 93 Defensive Rebound
Hall of Fame
99 Offensive Rebound Shot or 99 Defensive Rebound
If you're playing as a big, either as a Center or Power Forward, then Rebound Chaser is practically essential. It'll allow you to chase down rebounds with ease, allowing your team to gain possession of the ball at both ends of the court.

NBA 2K23: How to Unlock Badges

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The makeup of your build in NBA 2K23 will determine how many Badge Points you can utilise. However, you'll need to unlock these Badge Points by performing on the court, whether it's in single player NBA games or online matches around the City. Performing actions associated with a Badge Point will help you to make progress. So, for example, rebounding the ball will earn points towards your Defense / Rebounding Badges.

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You can accelerate how quickly you earn MyPoints by completing a side-quest called MyPoints Accelerator. In this quest, you'll simply need to attend three different team practices. Make sure when you show up at the practice building that you speak to the coach with the quest icon above his head, otherwise you won't progress the side-quest. Once you've completed these three team practices, you'll earn all progress towards your Badge Points at a five per cent faster rate.

NBA 2K23: How to Earn More Badge Points

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The potential of your build will determine the total number of Badge Points available to you in NBA 2K23, but it is possible to get more. Initially, you'll want to focus your attention on the Welcome to the League quest, which sets up the main storyline. While this includes a couple of sub-quests and takes several hours to complete, you'll be rewarded with four additional Badge Points for your build upon completion which you can then apply to the four main categories detailed on this page. Think carefully about the kind of build you've created and which Badges you want to unlock. This will help inform where you spend your additional Badge Points.

As the lifespan of NBA 2K23 matures, 2K Sports will likely make additional Badge Points available as part of its regular seasonal progression. At the time of writing, there are no Badge Points available to earn with Season 1, but it's something to look out for as additional seasons are released.


What do you think are the best Badges in NBA 2K23? Let us know what your loadout looks like, and be sure to check out our NBA 2K23 guide for much more.