After years of waiting, GTA VI has finally given us a closer look. Between heists, chases, cars, clubs and everything we expect from the new Grand Theft AutoRockstar’s Extended Look video also makes room for one of the most interesting activities for sports fans: basketball.
It’s not just a hoop placed in the background to make the setting feel more authentic. In fact, we see Jason actually playing basketballconfirming that the sport will be one of the activities available in GTA VI’s massive open world.
Considering that the game will be set in Vice City, Rockstar’s version of Miamithe presence of basketball could hint at much more than just a side activity.
GTA VI meets basketball
In the new GTA VI footage, Jason approaches a basketball court and starts playing. The scene is brief, but significant enough to confirm that Rockstar has included basketball among the playable activities in the game.
At the moment, we still don’t know how deep this mode will be. It’s unclear whether players will only be able to play quick gamestake part in challenges against other characters or use the basketball court as part of specific missions.
It’s easy to imagine, however, that Rockstar could use basketball to enrich everyday life in Vice Cityjust as it has done with other activities featured in previous installments of the series.
In GTA VI, then, the basketball could become another way to explore the city, interact with characters and temporarily step away from the main storyline.
Vice City has its own NBA franchise
GTA VI will take us back to Vice Citya reinterpretation of Miami set in the fictional state of Leonida.
Rockstar appears to have recreated not only Florida’s beaches, clubs and streets, but also some elements of its sports culture. There will actually be a real basketball team in the game: the Vice City Narcos.
The franchise will play at the Sahara Arenaa venue that bears a striking resemblance to the Cashier Centerhome of the Miami Heat.
Naturally, in the world of GTA VI, the Heat probably won’t be called the Heat. Jimmy Butler won’t suddenly show up during a side mission, and Pat Riley is unlikely to offer the protagonist a contract.
However, the presence of the Vice City Narcos suggests that a basketball league very similar to the NBA exists within the GTA VI universe. That detail could make basketball one of the most interesting elements of the game’s sports setting.
The perfect NBA team for the Vice City Narcos
If GTA VI allows us to imagine a basketball franchise based in Vice City, then we can also try to build the ideal starting five.
The perfect point guard would be Ja Morantthanks to a combination of speed, athleticism and showmanship that seems tailor-made for a Rockstar video game. He would be the kind of player capable of turning a simple pickup game into an action sequence.
At shooting guard, we’d have Anthony Edwardsprobably the ideal candidate to become the protagonist of a storyline set in the GTA VI version of the NBA. Charisma, trash talk and personality would make him perfect for Vice City, where he could easily turn every game into a main mission.
At small forward, Jimmy Butler would be a must. The setting clearly evokes Miami, and Butler is one of the most recognizable players in recent Miami Heat history. In GTA VI, we imagine him working out at dawn, running a beachside club and trying to convince his Vice City Narcos teammates that nobody is working hard enough.
At power forward, it would have to be Zion Williamsonan almost obvious choice because of his physicality and ability to dominate around the rim. In a video game like GTA VI, Zion would probably have one of the highest strength ratings in the entire game.
Rounding out the starting five would be Nikola Jokicthe perfect center precisely because he would be completely out of place compared with the other four players. While Morant, Edwards, Butler and Williamson take over Vice City, Jokic would ignore the main storyline to focus on side activities and spend hours with horses.
On the bench – or, better yet, both on the bench and behind the desk – would naturally be Pat Riley. The former coach and current Miami Heat president would be the ideal coach for the Vice City Narcos, but also the perfect character to assign missions and run the franchise.
NBA 2K27 and GTA VI: Is a crossover possible?
The connection between GTA VI and NBA 2K27 may not be a coincidence.
Rockstar Games and 2K are both owned by Take-Two Interactiveand in recent days, NBA 2K27 has started using an aesthetic that openly evokes Vice City.
The Season 1 trailer, in fact, features several elements that are difficult to ignore: palm trees, neon colors, police sirens and even an arcade cabinet featuring the Rockstar Games logo.
These references do not officially confirm that shared content is coming, but they make the possibility of a crossover between NBA 2K27 and GTA VI more plausible.
The possibilities would be numerous: a special mode set at the Sahara Arena, a Vice City Narcos uniform to use in NBA 2K27, a basketball court inspired by Vice City or even the appearance of some NBA players within the world of GTA VI.
A crossover like this would also fit with the history of the series. Grand Theft Auto has always explored American culture through music, fashion, cars, celebrities and sports. And among the sports most closely connected to those elements, especially over the past 20 years, is certainly the NBA.
When does GTA VI come out?
GTA VI will be released on November 19, 2026arriving right in the middle of the NBA Regular Season.
Millions of players will therefore enter Vice City at the same time the basketball season will already be underway. Between missions, players will be able to explore the city, attend sporting events and, at least to some extent, play basketball on the courts scattered across the map.
We still don’t know how deep GTA VI’s basketball experience will be, but Jason’s appearance on a court and the existence of the Vice City Narcos suggest that Rockstar has devoted more attention to basketball than expected.
The actual crossover between GTA VI and NBA 2K27 is still unconfirmed. In the meantime, though, the Vice City Narcos starting five is already ready: Ja Morant, Anthony Edwards, Jimmy Butler, Zion Williamson and Nikola Jokic, with Pat Riley on the bench.
At this point, the plan is pretty simple: enter Vice City, find the first available basketball court and start the climb toward the Vice City Narcos. The main missions can wait.
And if Rockstar really does give us a crossover with NBA 2K27, even better. The only thing we ask is that we get to put Jokic on a horse. The rest of the game can stay exactly as it is.