NBA 2K26: Controls Guide

Explore and understand the inputs for the various controls that grant you a more seamless experience in NBA 2K26.

NBA 2K26 control guide (Image via 2K Games)

NBA 2K26 is the latest installment in the 2K NBA franchise. This edition introduces some cool new combinations that have not been seen before. 2K26 is a multiplayer game that can be enjoyed both online and offline. If you are new to the franchise, the game is easy for a quick pick-up and play. To truly master the game, however, there is a learning curve to get familiar with all the different types of combinations and make the most out of the features it provides.

In this article, we will explore all the different control inputs in NBA 2K26.

Table of Contents

Controls in NBA 2K26

Controls in NBA 2K26

List of all combos and control inputs in NBA 2K26 (Image via 2K Games)

NBA 2K26 controls come with a complex set of combos, each designed for a particular stance or position your players are in. These also vary depending on whether your selected player is left-handed or right-handed. Below is the complete list of all controls in NBA 2K26.

Also read: NBA 2K26: All Takeover Requirements

List of All Controls

NBA 2K26 Offense Combos

Here is a list of all the offensive controls in NBA 2K26.

On-Ball Offense Controls

Command	PlayStation Input	Xbox Input
Pass	X	A
Bounce Pass	O	B
Lob Pass	Triangle	Y
Shoot	Square \| RS	X \| RS
Sprint	R2	RT
Icon Pass	R1	RB
Call Timeout	Share	View
Coaches Challenge	TOuch Pad	Back Button
Move Player	LS	LS
Pro Stick	RS	RS
On the Fly Coaching	D-Pad	D-Pad
Call Play	L1	LB
Post Up	L2	LT

Off-Ball Offense Controls

Command	PlayStation Input	Xbox Input
Jump Ball	Triangle	Y
Call for Ball	X	A
Call for Alley-oop	Double-tap Triangle	Double-tap Y
Finish Alley-oop	Tap the displayed button on the meter	Tap the displayed button on the meter
Set Screen	Hold O	Hold B
Adjust Screen Facing	Hold O and Press LS	Hold B and Press LS
Quick Screen	O	B
Call for Screen	L1	LB
Offball Juke	Move RS left or right and release	Move RS left or right and release
Offball Spin	Move RS clockwise or anti-clockwise	Move RS clockwise or anti-clockwise
Offball Get Open	R2	RT
Post Engage	Hold L2 near a defender	Hold LT near a defender
Post Spin	Hold L2 to post up. Rotate RS to either shoulder	Hold LT to post up. Rotate RS to either shoulder
Post Transition	Hold L2 to post up. Move RS towards the hoop.	Hold LT to post up. Move RS towards the hoop
Post-Fight for Position	Hold L2 to post up. Move RS up or down during defense players’ transition attempt	Hold LT to post up. Move RS up or down during defense players’ transition attempt
Post Disengage	Release L2	Release LT

Post Offense Controls

NBA 2K26 Defense Combos

Here is a list of all the defensive controls in NBA 2K26.

On-Ball Defense Controls

Command	PlayStation Input	Xbox Input
Move Player	LS	LS
Pro Stick Defense	RS	RS
Player Swap	X	A
Take Charge	O	B
Block/Rebound	Traingle	Y
Steal	Square	X
Sprint	R2	RT
Icon Swap	R1	RB
Double Team	L1	LB
Intense Defense	L2	LT
Intentional Foul	Touch pad	Back Button
On the Fly Coaching	D-Pad	D-Pad

Off-Ball Defense Controls

Command	PlayStation Input	Xbox Input
Acknowledge Teammate	Double-tap O towards a player after a highlight play	Double-tap B towards a player after a highlight play
Box Out Opponent	Hold L2 near an opponent after a shot. Use LS to stay ahead of the opponent	Hold LT near an opponent after a shot. Use LS to stay ahead of the opponent
Rebound	Triangle	Y
Swim Move	Move LS left or right when boxed out to swim move past the boxing opponent	Move LS left or right when boxed out to swim move past the boxing opponent
Bump	Hold L2	Hold LT
Deny Hands Out	Move and hold RS	Move and hold RS
Deny Engage	Hold L2 near an opponent inside the basket	Hold LT near an opponent inside the basket
Post Up Engage	Hold L2 near the opponent when inside the basket	Hold LT near the opponent when inside the basket
Post Push	Hold L2 and move LS towards the offensive player	Hold LT and move LS towards the offensive player
Post Pull Chair	Hold L2 to engage. Move RS in the direction the opponent is pushing	Hold LT to engage. Move RS in the direction the opponent is pushing
Post Transition	Hold L2 to engage. Move RS	Hold LT to engage. Move RS
Post-Fight for Position	Hold L2 to engage. Move RS when the opponent tries to transition.	Hold LT to engage. Move RS when the opponent tries to transition.
Post-Steal Entry Pass	Hold L2 to engage. Press Square when the ball is being passed inside.	Hold LT to engage. Press Square when the ball is being passed inside.
Post Disengage	Move LS away from the offensive player	Move LS away from the offensive player
Dive For Loose Ball	Multi-tap Square when chasing a loose ball.	Multi-tap X when chasing a loose ball.
Emote	In MyCareer only. Tap D-pad	In MyCareer only. Tap D-pad

NBA 2K26 Shooting Combos

Here is a list of all the shooting controls in NBA 2K26.

Command	PlayStation Input	Xbox Input
Jump Shot	Hold Square \| RS and release	Hold B \| RS and release
Shot Timing	Square \| RS to jump shot and release when the meter is full.	X \| RS to jump shot and release when the meter is full.
Go-To Shot	Move RS up and hold. Release after the ball is shot	Move RS up and hold. Release after the ball is shot
Rhythm Shooting	Move RS down, then up. Match the speed of the jumpshot.	Move RS down, then up. Match the speed of the jumpshot.
Pull-Up Jump Shot	Move RS up and hold when jumping for a shot	Move RS up and hold when jumping for a shot
Quick Shot	Hold L2 as you receive the pass	Hold LT as you receive the pass
Free Throw	Hold Square \| RS-down, then release	Hold X \| RS-down, then release
Normal Layup	Hold Square \| RS-up, then release	Hold X \| RS-up, then release
Quick Scoop Layup	Hold Square \| RS-left or RS-right, then release	Hold X\| RS-left or RS-right, then release
Euro Step Layup	Double-tap Square while diving. Hold LS towards the off-hand	Double-tap X while diving. Hold LS towards the off-hand
Slow Step Decel	Hold L2 during a euro-step layup to slow down your gather & try to throw the defense off-balance	Hold LT during a euro-step layup to slow down your gather & try to throw the defense off-balance
Runner / Floater	Move the RS down and hold when driving in close range	Move the RS down and hold when driving in close range
Reverse Layup	Move RS right and hold	Move RS right and hold
Cradle Layup	Double-tap Square when driving. Now, hold the LS towards the ball hand	Double-tap X when driving. Now, hold the LS towards the ball hand
Hop Step Layup	Square (When driving)	X (When driving)
Normal Dunk	R2 + Square	RT + X
Two-Hand Dunk	R2 + move and hold RS	RT + move and hold RS
Dominant or Off-Hand Dunk	R2 + move and hold RS left or right	RT + move and hold RS left or right
Skill Dunk	R2 + move and hold RS down	RT + move and hold RS down
Controllable Rim Hang	Hold R2 while dunking	Hold RT while dunking
Pump Fake	Sqaure	X
Hop / Stepback Gather	R2 + move RS in the hop direction	RT + move RS in the hop direction
Spin Gather	Hold R2 + double-tap Square when driving with the ball	Hold RT + double-tap X when driving with the ball
Half Spin Gather	Rotate the RS right to up anti-clockwise and hold when driving with the ball	Rotate the RS right to up anti-clockwise and hold when driving with the ball
Step Through	After pump-fake, hold Square. Move RS and hold in any direction	After pump-fake, hold X. Move RS and hold in any direction
Putback	Square (during an offensive rebound)	X (during an offensive rebound)
Bank Shot	Move RS up, hold and release	Move RS up, hold, and release

NBA 2K26 Dribbling Combos

Here is a list of all the dribbling controls in NBA 2K26.

NBA 2K26 Passing Combos

Here is a list of all the passing controls in NBA 2K26.

Also read: NBA 2K26: How To Flashy Pass and Wrap Pass

Command	PlayStation Input	Xbox Input
Normal Pass	X	A
Bounce Pass	O	B
Lob Pass	Triangle	Y
Icon Pass	R1 (Select the Icon button of the intended receiver) Guide the receiver using LS	RB (Select the Icon button of the intended receiver) Guide the receiver using LS
Wrap Pass	O + O (LS to guide receiver)	B + B (LS to guide receiver)
Alley-oop	Triangle + Triangle (LS to guide receiver)	Y + Y (LS to guide receiver)
Alley-oop to Self	Triangle + Triangle (LS to move towards hoop)	Y + Y (LS to move towards hoop)
Lead to Basket Pass	Hold Triangle (Selected receiver will move to the basket.) Release Triangle to pass.	Hold Y (Selected receiver will move to the basket.) Release Y to pass.
Skip Pass	Hold X to pass to a further teammate	Hold A to pass to a further teammate
Get Open Pass	Hold O to have the teammate be open for a pass. Release O to pass	Hold B to have the teammate be open for a pass. Release B to pass
Handoff Pass	Hold O	Hold B
Fake Pass	Traingle + O	Y + B
Jump Pass	Square + X	X + A
Flashy Pass	Double-tap O	Double-tap B
Full Receiver Control	Hold O (Move receiver with LS), release to pass.	Hold B (Move receiver with LS), release to pass.
Touch Pass	X (move LS to select the second receiver)	A (move LS to select the second receiver)
Pro Stick Pass	Hold R1 (Move RS to pass direction). Release R1	Hold RB (Move RS to pass direction), Release RB
Give and Go	Hold X until the receiver gets the ball. (LS to move receiver) Release X to get a pass back	Hold A until the receiver gets the ball. (LS to move receiver) Release A to get a pass back
Rolling Inbound	Triangle (During baseline inbounds)	Y (During baseline inbounds)

Also read: NBA 2K26: How To Invite Friends To MyCourt

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NBA 2K26: Controls Guide

Controls in NBA 2K26