NBA 2K’s career mode was initially titled 24/7 before it became MyPlayer and later MyCareer. The mode first appeared in ESPN NBA Basketball, the series entry commonly known as NBA 2K4, and allowed players to create a basketball character and guide that character through competitions.
The 24/7 name reflected the mode’s broader street-basketball and tournament structure rather than only an NBA season. Players could build a custom athlete and compete in different events, making it an early version of the player-progression systems that later became central to the franchise.
The branding evolved as the mode became more integrated into the series. NBA 2K10 used the MyPlayer name, emphasizing the customizable athlete, while later games settled on MyCareer for the full career experience. “The Life” is associated with other basketball games and is not the original NBA 2K name.