MyNBA Guide: How to Win Championships in NBA 2K24 Franchise

Running a franchise isn't easy, even in a simulation like MyNBA Franchise mode in NBA 2K24. Keeping your players, the front office, and fans happy all at once is a tall task and many players fail in this quest for greatness from behind the desk. In games like NBA 2K24, it's so much easier to win championships as a player where you can directly affect the game, than win a championship ring as a GM who can only set up your team for success, leaving your team to their own devices to win with your support. Here in this NBA 2K24 guide, we teach you the best practices with tips and tricks on how to win championships in NBA 2K24 MyNBA Franchise Mode.

Building a Balanced Roster in MyNBA

The key to winning championships lies in having a roster with both depth and star power. This is essential as no matter how strong your finances are and no matter how good your coaching staff is, there's no winning without a strong lineup. Here are some tips and tricks on how to make a championship team in MyNBA:

• Build around a “Big Three.” Sure, drafting a generational talent or signing a superstar free agent could get you a championship, but these kinds of players are rare and often will break the bank sooner than later. It's also much riskier giving the keys to the kingdom to just one person, so it's much more reliable to have a Big Three than just a single Demigod. Whatever you feel about real-life Big Threes, they work and can win championships. Get at least three players with at least an 81 OVR in three different positions and you'll get more consistent results, and possibly, multiple championships.
• Build with depth. It's important to cover all fronts of your championship team. While having a Big Three will get you wins, you will still need to have backups to help in load management and as an emergency option in case your Big Three gets injured or suddenly decides not to resign. Also, don't leave any of your starting five too weak as it will lead to lopsided matchups that will hurt your chances against certain teams.
• Balance Mentors and Mentees. The Mentorship system in MyNBA is an often overlooked tool that really helps your chances of winning championships in the long term. Mentors help develop the badges of younger players and give your team more longevity, depth, and consistency. The next best thing to signing superstars and drafting generational talent is developing great role players. Whether or not you drafted the younger players yourself, it's always worth it to develop them, especially those with high potential. With that said, you will have to balance your roster with veterans and younger guys, building a pipeline of veterans mentoring your current stars and your current stars coaching the younger up-and-comers. Yes, age does matter in winning championships.
• Trade Finder. Trade Finder is another underutilized tool at players' disposal in MyGM and Franchise Mode. Trade Finder will help you get rid of undesirable or bloated contracts in favor of younger talent or free up cap space. We'll talk more about managing your finances later on, but one easy way to get rid of bloat is through the Trade Finder. With it, you can even snag draft picks for the future, get veterans for mentorship, or snag future stars.

Training and Support Staff for your NBA 2K24 Franchise

While having a great roster is the primary ingredient of success, it's not the only one that makes the recipe. A good team would still fall against more cerebral and organized teams if they didn't have the guidance of a coaching staff. And that coaching staff won't know what to prepare for without a strong scouting team. And finally, your team will have to remain healthy, and we all know that players don't always know how to take good care of themselves. That's right: the front office makes as much an impact as your players in your chances of winning a championship. So, after splurging most of your budget on your players, the next big ticket items are your coaches, scouts, and team doctors. Here are some things to keep in mind when building up your support staff:

• It's all in the system. Even if you have a strong lineup, if your players' style of play clashes with the coach's playbook, you won't find much success. Spend some time getting to know your stars' proficiencies and make sure that the Head Coach you get would be fit to lead them. When picking up new players and drafting rookies, you'll also be able to see how well they fit into your current system.
• Scouting Matters. If you already know with the benefit of hindsight who will become stars in the future, why would you need scouts, you might ask. Well, there are three good reasons. First, you aren't guaranteed to have a Top 12 pick in the draft class, especially if you're a winning team, which means the scouting will still come in handy for the rest of the randomly generated players that fill up the rest of the draft class after the likes of Trae Young and Luka Doncic. Second, you still have to know how well they'll fit into your current system, and unless you're super familiar with how things work, then you'd need to know whether or not Trae Young would actually be a good fit for your team's system. Otherwise, his growth will be stunted, and will not develop into the playmaker he is today in real life. Finally, third, you still need the scouts to see how your opposing team's systems are. Granted, this might be a little bit granular, but if you're playing at the micro scale, with how the simulations work, the teams you go against in-game will most likely not look like the teams we see in real life. Hence, you should always be prepared and know how they will play so you can adjust your game plan accordingly.
• Know what to prioritize. Apart from having a limited budget to form your support staff, you can also just hire a total of 17 support staff every season. So, you will have to know which support you will actually need for the year. You don't really need a great coach if your team isn't a winning team yet, but you'll need good trainers. Depending on what you're developing, you might want a Big Man coach or a Perimeter D coach. If you're in rebuilding mode, then it pays more to have scouts both domestic and foreign. If you're trying to prolong the life of your veterans as though you're the GM of the Phoenix Suns, then you should invest in a good Team Doctor and a good sports health team. Knowing what kind of support you need will ensure that your team is well-provisioned for victory, may it be for the short term or the long term.
• Deliberate Training and Development. Drafting a generational talent is only the first step in winning a championship if you're going that route. You also have to put in the work in developing your rookie and shaping them into the superstar you know that they'd become one day. Many MyNBA players have complained about how their rookies never reached their full potential, ending up as trade fodder for their batchmates who actually developed into superstars by better-managed teams. To get the most out of your drafted rookies, remember to give them a veteran with a lot of badges as a mentor that matches their playstyle, give them a coaching staff that uses a system where they could shine, and schedule their training to high intensity, focusing on the skill that you want them to develop.

Managing Your Finances in Franchise Mode

Managing your finances is also an important factor in winning championships and one that is hard for many players to understand. To be fair, it's the most boring part of MyNBA if you ask me. In fact, you can do without the entire finance thing if you want and remove it from your game mode. But if you're up for the challenge, then here are some tips you need to know:

• Know your market. Regardless of how badly your team performs, playing in LA will almost always ensure you're raking in cash. That's just the way things are. But if you're playing in smaller markets, then you will have to be attentive to your finances a little bit more. Wins matter more in smaller markets because you will have to rely on more than just your ticket sales. Having superstars in your roster will help boost your finances with jersey sales, and winning more games will lead to more advertising money coming your way. Of course, it needs to be reminded that you will have to balance this act as well, as superstars also cost a lot of money.
• Stay below the cap and avoid the luxury tax. As much as possible, live within your means and do not sign contracts that you know will get you above your salary cap. This especially holds true when luxury tax started stacking in the mid-2010s. You don't want to have an empty wallet with no superstars to show, so make sure to keep your balance sheet healthy. Be mindful of your Bird Rights and make sure you never go overboard.
• Use the Trade Finder. Already mentioned earlier but bares repeating: make sure to use Trade Finder to get rid of bloated contracts and try to clear some cap space. You want to always have enough money to sign your next big superstar without breaking the bank and going over the limit.
• Win, win, win. Regardless of your current situation financially, winning ensures that your bank account is rolling with dough, so make sure to win your games as much as possible.
• Sign deliberately. Don't just sign LeBron because he's testing free agency: make sure that all of your signings are deliberate and you know what you want to do with your superstars. You can save a lot of money by signing older free agents who have a lot of badges and use them as mentors to hone the skills of your rookies, even if you know they can't play much anymore. Then, make sure to sign younger athletes who are between 78 OVR and 85 OVR and who are below $4 million a year, those are the best deals. Finally, make good use of your draft picks as they are always your best bet at keeping your finances afloat while also developing strong players in MyNBA.

Play the Crucial Games in NBA 2K24 MyNBA

And finally, just like how the greatest NBA players win championships, you've got to step up when it matters most. Winning a championship is best experienced when you're behind the controller and shooting that crucial jump shot that brings you the Larry O'Brien trophy home. Down 0-3 and facing elimination in the playoffs? Don't leave it up to chance and simulate: go play the games yourself and make sure you win. You even get extra VC for every game you win, which you can use for the other game modes. When the going gets tough, it's time for you, the player, to step up. You're playing NBA 2K24, after all, so I'm pretty sure you won't mind playing a couple of games, even in MyNBA mode, right?

NBA 2K24 is out now on PS4, PS5, PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and the Xbox Series XClutchPoints Gaming.