Maybe not a big enough NBA career but a notable name for sure in the league — yes, that’s Gilbert Arenas for you. While in-game proficiency’s popularity is one thing, the 3x All-Star even became the third NBA star to have his wax statue at Madame Tussauds, as revealed by him in a recent episode of Gil’s Arena. Apart from this, he also appeared on the cover of NBA Live 08. But not many would know he had the option to go with the 2k franchise as well.

During his podcast, Gil revealed he used to play 2k all the time. But then why would someone give up the dream of being on the cover of the game he played the most? “They [2k franchise] didn’t have the biggest following. Live had the bigger following, so I went with the prestige of Live. And then they gave the cover of 2k to Chris Paul…” he revealed on Gil’s Arena.

However, being on the NBA Live 08 cover did not make Gilbert Arenas any less happy. In fact, in a 2007 video by Electronic Arts (EA), Gil could not seem to control his excitement to be on the cover. “This is an honor. Until I win that ring. I don’t know how that feels. I know how this feels right now, and I like it a lot,” he said.

It was only more memorable for Arenas with his love for video games. The 3x All-Star was so excited to be on the cover that he admitted he would be bragging about it to his teammates.

The Live 08 was quite well received by the fans. In fact, a review by Game Radar mentioned the game as what restored the Live series and saved it from dying. Among the pros of the games were its controls, FIBA World Tournament, and online leagues. Meanwhile, the cons on the website included ordinary-looking graphics, a bit of stutter in the gameplay and a cluttered dynasty.

So it’s clear NBA Live actually had a strong fanbase at the time. But then what went wrong with the Live series that it did not come with any new edition after 2019?

Why did the 2k series outlast EA’s NBA Live?

The 2k series usually held an upper hand when it came to graphics, player movements and some other key aspects. In fact, some reports criticized the Live’s player movement animation to the extent of saying players seem to skate rather than run. By the time the two franchises reached their 2019 edition, the competition was even higher. And both games had their own criticism from the fans.

Now, EA was supposed to come with Live 20 as well, but an article by Medium states it got canceled because the franchise no longer had the same faith in the product. Meanwhile, 2k series continued with its further installments. But it’s not as if the franchise lives without any criticism from the fans.

In fact, many argue that 2k was better when NBA Live existed, as the competition promoted quality. But one can’t blame Gilbert Arenas for choosing Live back then. There was no way he could have seen the future of the two franchises.

Stay tuned for more such updates. And join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger.