John Kim 
The role of sneakers in the sport of basketball are no longer limited to the confines of mere function and comfort; sneakers are as much of a visual statement as they are a performance enhancer, with the big-boy brands and the energetic colorways giving one’s feet a distinct swagger. NBA 2K13 brings us into the world of basketball sneakers more than ever before thanks to Nike Basketball and the entertaining Nike iD integration, giving us full reign over one-of-one colorways of all the sickest upcoming Nike kicks like the Kobe VIII and KD V as well as the recently launched LeBron X+ and presenting the opportunity to share designs with others.
Aside from the the iD-able nature of the shoes, NBA 2K13 even brings in some of Nike’s most influential pioneers like Tinker Hatfield, who invites the user into a virtual Nike Innovation Kitchen to design a new pair of shoes. The Career Mode of NBA 2K13 also brings to life to ‘shoe deal’ side of pro-athlete perks, with Nike and Jordan Brand offering up nice contracts should your game be up to par with their standards. It’s like a game within a game, especially for sneakerheads, so don’t think twice about copping NBA 2K13 and keep your virtual sneaker game tight.
