Through “NBA’s Greatest” mode, gamers can relive professional basketball’s most memorable rivalries with 15 historic NBA teams and their greatest players, including Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Julius “Dr. J” Erving among other basketball icons.

“The NBA 2K franchise has become an essential part of the NBA culture, and our fans can now take control of legendary teams and athletes from the NBA’s rich history,” said Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports. “With ‘NBA’s Greatest’ mode, NBA 2K12 will allow fans to prove once and for all who are the greatest basketball icons of all time.”

Gamers will now have the ability to take Larry Bird’s sweet stroke against Julius Erving’s legendary above-the-rim offense, or pit Magic Johnson and the Los Angeles Lakers’ “Showtime” offense against Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls to see which iconic teams and legends would dominate in an ultimate showdown. By recreating the historic matchups of basketball’s fiercest rivalries, NBA 2K12 pays tribute to the teams and heroes that defined them -- in doing so, players will be able to unlock these legendary athletes and teams to create matchups against any current NBA franchise.    

Finally, the debate among diehard basketball fans as to which team - past or present - would rule the hardwood will be settled in NBA 2K12. “NBA’s Greatest” mode will allow fans to match Jordan’s Bulls against the Miami Heat’s “Big 3” of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh; Bird’s Celtics against the Lakers’ with Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol; and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Lakers against the Orlando Magic with Dwight Howard.

NBA 2K12 can now be pre-ordered from leading video game retailers nationwide.