Singh himself also appears in NBA 2K24, and to the millions of players worldwide he’s almost as well known as names like Kobe, MJ or Shaq. Standing at 6’3′, Singh sees eye-to-eye with many NBA players themselves, and fans look up to him as their go-to ambassador for all things culture, music and brand partnerships in the 2K world.
The player ratings are always source of heated debate, but the celebrity scans were a much easier process, Singh says. At a time when 3D body-scanning and AI recreation are contentious points in Hollywood’s strikes, 2K24 had “zero pushback” in putting the celebs in the game. Ahead of Friday’s launch, Singh rolled up to Times Square with a squad of celebs, including rappers Swae Lee and A Boogie Wit da Hoodie, tennis star Frances Tiafoe and Detroit Pistons No. 1 pick Cade Cunningham. In honor of the franchise’s 25th anniversary, they played the world’s largest game of 2K on a massive billboard, and Cunningham was named the first Times Square champion.