Should you choose Elite or Rise in NBA 2K25?

Affiliations have returned in NBA 2K25, and once again, you’re presented with a choice. Should you go with Elite or Rise? By the looks of things, your choice doesn’t make much of a difference.

All our early testing and comparisons have shown no major gameplay advantage from one NBA 2K25 Affiliation to the other. The only confirmed difference between Rise and Elite is the daily spin rewards, which are mostly VC and cosmetics. All daily, weekly, and seasonal quests are either the same for both or slight variations of one another. The Affiliation progress rewards are also the same on both sides.

Should pick the Rise or Elite Affiliation in NBA 2K25?

Go with whichever Affiliation looks cooler to you, as there are no apparent unique benefits to either. The two factors that could sway you are the faction leaders—Shakedown for Rise and Chris Manning for Elite— and the court aesthetics. Rise is going for a futuristic mech suit meets warehouse vibe, while Elite’s pitch involves a huge pirate ship. If either seems appealing to you, the choice is much clearer.

There is the potential for Affiliations to make more of a difference down the line. NBA 2K24’s system emphasized certain rewards on each side, turning Elite into more of a three-and-d faction and Rise fitting more playmakers and pure scorers. The NBA 2K25 season one progression path doesn’t indicate a similar split is happening this year, but if you’re on the fence about which Affiliation to join, you can go off prior history and hope for the best.

If you’re still undecided, maybe this will ease the process of choosing an Affiliation in NBA 2K25—you can always switch. There are some penalties for doing so, but the option is there, and if timed right won’t set you back too much.

How to switch Affiliation in NBA 2K25

To switch Affiliation, talk to the leader of the opposing faction. If you originally chose Rise, talking to Chris Manning lets you switch to Elite and vice versa.

Be careful, though. Switching Affiliations can be costly. Your progress with your former Affiliation, including accumulated rep and season quest progression, is reset, and you are locked out of any season quests for your new Affiliation until next season.

If you’re already working hard on improving your game in NBA 2K25, then you owe it to yourself to learn more about Takeovers and how to activate them, as they are the ultimate way to shine on the court.