NBA 2K25 affiliation guide: Rise vs Elite rewards and differences explained

Just like every year in NBA 2K25, one of the first things you have to do in The City at the start of MyCareer is choose an affiliation. Chris Manning and Shakedown both want you to join their affiliations, but you can only choose one of them. So, should you choose Rise or Elite for your NBA 2K25 affiliation?

Should you join Rise or Elite in NBA 2K25?

Ultimately, there’s not a lot of difference between Rise and Elite and NBA 2K25. While each affiliation sounds different on paper, the reward tracks are basically identical. The only things that set each affiliation apart are cosmetic rewards, affiliation court access, and quest objectives.

For example, Rise quests involve scoring and playing aggressively and scoring points on your own while Elite quests focus more on teamwork and assists. If you choose Rise, you’ll get access to futuristic courts with giant mechs scattered throughout the area. If you go with Elite, then you’ll get to play on courts inside a huge pirate ship. As you increase your affiliation rep and play on those courts, you’ll unlock cosmetics and clothing that let you rep your team.

You can change affiliations once per season, but your rep will be reset if you switch sides. Ultimately, you should just choose the one that has the cooler courts in your opinion. The cosmetic rewards aren’t a huge deal, and you can complete both sides’ quests fairly easily. You won’t miss out on critical things like Heat Check or anything like that if you go one way or the other.

All Rise affiliation rewards in NBA 2K25

All Elite affiliation rewards in NBA 2K25