NBA players care about a handful of things. Winning, rings and of course their NBA 2K ratings.
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The debate over what players should be rated in the latest NBA 2K video game has always been a point of contention for fans worldwide.
That same debate rages on in all 30 NBA locker rooms according to 2K's Digital Marketing Director Ronnie Singh.
This past off-season, Singh and Aussie Ben Simmons got into an interesting Twitter exchange over the rookie's rating.
"(Simmons) doesn't play 2K a lot," Singh told NBA Australia."But he really cares about his 2k rating. It's literally all he talks about on social media all the time.
"I ask him all the time 'if you don't play the game why do you care?'. It's totally how (NBA players) benchmark against each other.
Simmons' original rating was a 79 when the game came out in September. He was rated worst than Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball and teammate Markelle Fultz which set the internet on fire.
.@TheCarlanGay spoke to @Ronnie2K about ratings in @NBA2K. He revealed why @BenSimmons25 thinks he should be a 98 overall. #NBA #NBA2K18 pic.twitter.com/59x9T06tqP
— NBA Australia (@NBA_AU) February 23, 2018
The Rookie of the Year candidate is now up to an 83 overall, but Singh believes Simmons won't be happy until his rating is comparable to the NBA legends in the game.
"The other day I was at a party with him," Singh continued. "He comes up to me and was like ' Ronnie, Magic Johnson, Oscar Robertson, Ben Simmons.' I was like, what?
"So obviously he's had the most triple-doubles at this stage of his career outside of those two guys. That's why he was on me about (his rating).
"He said 'If I'm getting triple-doubles and you have (Johnson, Robertson) as a 98 in the game, I should be a 98 in the game.'"
Singh acknowledged that he and Simmons were friendly and most of their interactions were playful.
However, with Simmons averaging 16.4 points, 7.8 rebounds and 7.3 assists in 54 games this season the ratings debate will heat up as the Sixers continue to push towards the playoffs.
