Turns out the 2023’s most popular video game in the U.S. (per OHgamblers) didn’t exactly waltz into its 2K26 rollout. Rather, it limped in with a trail of fan outrage, starting with its cover. Normally, NBA 2K plays it safe: a retired NBA legend, plus a current NBA star, plus a WNBA star. This year’s trio consisted of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony, and Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese. Now, Reese is a two-time All-Star, one of the league’s best rebounders, and a budding face of the WNBA. Still, fans had already penciled in Caitlin Clark as the obvious choice to join the illustrious list of Candace Parker, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, A’ja Wilson, and Sabrina Ionescu.

Naturally, this disappointment had social media in full boil. 2K’s Senior VP Zak Armitage, though, wasn’t losing any sleep over it. “We’re never scared to start a conversation,” he told journalist Marc Griffin. “That’s part of our game. We never shy away from it.” He also reminded everyone that covers are locked in months (sometimes years) before release, often as part of long-term partnerships with players they view as “current or future superstars.” Let me translate it for you: Caitlin Clark may be the sensation, but Reese is an investment.

And if that explanation didn’t already “start a conversation”, another 2K26 move sure did. Launching September 5, the game will introduce a landmark feature: Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers, A’ja Wilson, Angel Reese, and the entire WNBA are coming to MyTEAM for the first time ever. Yep, the gamers will be able to pair NBA and WNBA stars as the Player Cards will be fully integrated into all MyTEAM modes and features.

While fans didn’t mind seeing WNBA stars on the cover—even if the pick wasn’t their favorite—actually playing with them in MyTeam was where many drew the line, with most responses amounting to a firm “No thanks.” There was, however, one notable exception, and if you’ve been anywhere near a basketball feed in the last 18 months, you already know the name. Let’s dive into what fans had to say..

Stephen Curry vs Caitlin Clark: Dreams to Backlash

It all started when NBA 2K lit the match on Thursday as they dropped some teaser clips on social media. It was Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson tossing an alley-oop to Miami Heat’s Bam Adebayo, and Chicago Sky’s Angel Reese celebrating with Shaquille O’Neal and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Cool little moments, right? Then LegionHoops reposted it on X with the caption, “NBA 2K announces you’ll be able to play as both men and women on the same court.” And that’s when things went nuclear on social media.

The number one reaction popped up almost instantly: “Is it gonna be realistic or are the women actually going to be able to compete with the men?” Considering the differences between the leagues, it’s not really a dumb question. NBA players use a 29.5-inch ball, WNBA players use a 28.5. NBA games are four 12-minute quarters, WNBA is four 10s. Even college formats are different because the men play two 20-minute halves, whereas the women stick to four 10-minute quarters. Add in the athletic gap, and yeah, real-life cross-league matchups wouldn’t exactly be even.

But then again… this is a video game. And as Merriam-Webster defines it, it’s just “an electronic game in which players control images on a video screen.” In other words, we could lighten up a little. We’ve already seen people throw Jordan on the ‘84 Blazers in MyLeague to see what it could’ve been like. Like, what if Portland picked MJ instead of Sam Bowie? Hell, people even love pairing Jordan with Clyde Drexler to see a duo that could have formed a dominant backcourt. Same way – feeding imaginations – now, they’re just letting you mix NBA and WNBA on the same hardwood.

Just… maybe don’t let the imagination go wild and have “Angel Reese block a Ja Morant dunk,” because one fan swore, “I’m uninstalling” if they see that. The bottom line is that it’s unrealistic, it’s controversial, but it’s also the only popular NBA game on the market. As one fan put it, “A game has never regressed more than this one. They need some competition. They’re too complacent being the only NBA video game.” Until that happens, 2K can pretty much experiment however they want. And though fans believe it comes at their cost, there is still one WNBA player they are excited to see. According to them, there’s just one person who deserves all the credit for this new feature.

“Another thing all the WNBA players can thank Caitlin Clark for lol. Nothing like this would have ever happened if she didn’t put the whole league on the map,” wrote one user. And they can’t really be blamed because before CC entered the league, no WNBA game had averaged more than 1 million viewers since 2008. Let’s just say that changed real fast in 2024. The WNBA saw not one, not two, but 23 games hit seven figures in viewership. And Caitlin Clark played all of those games except for just 3. On the list of most-watched WNBA games this season, you would have to scroll down to No. 15 to find the first game without the Fever. It clearly justifies the fact that if there’s a word to describe her, it’s “exception.”

Fans made it clear: “No one cares about the WNBA. Only Caitlin Clark matters. Smh.” And the 2K franchise could easily use that exact sentiment to pull in unlikely buyers. As one person put it, “If NBA 2K26 was financially smart, they would do a Caitlin Clark edition of NBA 2K26. Even I would buy that edition, and I have never bought an NBA 2K game in my life! haha.” Fans had some more ideas too, as they wrote, “a Caitlin Clark and Tyrese Haliburton backcourt with an Aliyah Boston and Pascal Siakam frontcourt running thru the Eastern Conference.” That could definitely be fun, but there was another popular duo request making the rounds.

Fans wanted to pair Stephen Curry (99 three-point rating) with Caitlin Clark.

“Who wouldn’t want a backcourt of Curry and Clark?!” one fan posted. Others wanted a straight-up “Curry vs. Clark” night. After all, it’s a matchup we almost got at the NBA All-Star before Clark declined a special 3-point challenge invite to face Curry in February. She wanted her first contest to be at the WNBA All-Star in Indianapolis – fair enough. Still, her step-back three is iconic, and fans are already dreaming up in-game moments like “Bout to drain a 3 with Caitlin Clark in LeBron’s face.” Well, considering how she averaged a 34.4 3 P% while being injury-free during her rookie season, that could be a real possibility.

Some are going even wilder: “Can’t wait to make Caitlin Clark dunk on Wemby.” Realistic? No, because Victor Wembanyama is literally 7 feet 2 inches tall, whereas Caitlin Clark is 6. But is it fun? Absolutely. And that’s what it’s all about, just some fun pairings and a whole lot of unconventional basketball! Let us know in the comments who you’d like to see playing together.