NBA 2K23: Best Badges

Beast out with the best Badges for your MyPlayer

by Sammy Barker Mon 5th Jun 2023

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

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.