The NBA 2K MyTEAM game mode is full of ups and downs, and user feedback reflects that. Just like every other year, the holiday event of 2026 came with a mix of complaints and acknowledgments, but at least there was some fun for free! In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the NBA 2K MyTEAM account shared a special locker code that allowed users to participate in a mini-game where they can drop balls and win several high-tier Pink Diamond player cards. This code, which is good for a week, not only reflects the festive theme of the game but also its continuous holiday promotions. Nevertheless, the community is divided about the rewards—in terms of both how useful they are and how the distribution was done.
So, 2K has made a code release. The code is MLK-DAY-MyTEAM and you need to put it in the locker code section. It gives you a mini ball drop game, right? Where you try to get the ball landed on the points. The rewards are all Pink Diamond cards, which is MyTEAM’s highest level. They have mentioned some players’ names such as: Amen Thompson, Josh Smith, Jalen Williams, Karl-Anthony Towns… as well as two different packs. Singles and packs sound good on paper, PDs for free! But the replies show a totally different mood.
First off, the ball drop mechanic has come under people’s complaints. JohnnyBlaze_82, for instance, has been very vocal about it, saying “Ball drop where you’re practically forced to land on the edges? Bullshit”. Of course, he is right and not the only one. The mini-game is really very famous. Sometimes it seems like it is rigged, as if the physics were just off. There was a whole side conversation in the replies about where to drop the ball to land on the good spots, with users like jpawlyko and Chris17435909 trying to find a solution. “Literally can’t miss if you drop that side lol,” one said. But if you have to use a secret strategy for a free code, is it really that generous?
Besides, the actual cards have surprisingly been not so well received by all. The response varies a lot. Some players were very lucky and happy. User MothMan1387 simply put it, “I got Amen”. User devinthegoat3 said, “Got Dirk. Not too bad”. User CFCBugs just expressed “Thank you MLK” with a screenshot of his card. Still, there is one loser for each winner who thinks he got a dud. Foreva_Mike was asking, “Can I get another ball drop 💀, I got a cat 😅”. And the pain in guitarboy490’s case was even greater, who wrote a whole paragraph: “I don’t want to seem ungrateful… but including KAT in this code is just terrible…And of course while I’m literally aiming for anyone but that card, that’s the freaking card I get.” Ouch! That’s the risk I guess. The card of Karl-Anthony Towns seems to be the one that nobody wants, perhaps because a similar free one was offered before. Getting it feels like a slap.
Meanwhile, there are the players who are just… annoyed by the whole situation. The 96-rated Pink Diamond cards don’t look too shabby at first glance but might not even make it to the gameplay in the end for the hardcore players who grind or pay. The user fairman_joseph remarked,”It’s really sad when I don’t even play myteam and these cards can’t even get on my team because they are only 96 anyway lol.” Another user, the_sad_player, was in agreement saying that those cards wouldn’t even make his team “back in November.” Hence, the so-called “premium” reward may not be perceived as such by the most engaged gamers. On the other hand, there are the other gamers begging for something entirely different like JStott69975 who replied, “Please bring back TTO/Triple threat offline and remove TTP and breakout pls.” It’s never just about the code, is it? It’s about the whole state of the mode.
Negative reactions have not been the only outcome, however! Some players do realize that free stuff is free stuff, especially for the no-spenders. KezzyDJ9 stated, “Ngl the event and the code have made 2k being nice to nms players.” And BalloutCa echoed the same idea, “Yall Need to drop pink diamonds more often this is a start not everybody has time to grind or wants to spend money.” This is a valid argument. For casual gamers or players watching their budget, being able to get a top-tier card only for entering a code is a great opportunity on their Xbox or PlayStation.
