Kyrie Irving is back at the top of the NBA 2K27 ball-handling rankings, and this one comes with a familiar number attached to it: 99.
2K posted its top 10 list Wednesday afternoon, and the Mavericks guard finished No. 1 again. It’s the third straight game in which Irving has held the highest ball-handling rating, after doing the same in NBA 2K26 and NBA 2K25.
Stephen Curry sits right behind him at 97. Jalen Brunson and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander are tied at 96, while LaMelo Ball, Luka Dončić, Trae Young and James Harden are all at 95. Darius Garland came in ninth at 94, and Donovan Mitchell rounded out the list at 93.
There were some notable changes from last year’s group. Morant and Durant are gone from the top 10, while Ball, Garland and Mitchell are new additions.
The list also comes with a few roster notes that reflect the league’s shifting landscape. Washington acquired Young from Atlanta on Jan. 9 for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, and he later signed a four-year contract worth roughly $212 million in June.
Cleveland dealt Garland and a second-round pick to the Los Angeles Clippers for Harden on Feb. 4.
Charlotte sent Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota this offseason in a package for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps and three second-round picks.
Harden appeared on the graphic with a Cleveland logo. He declined a $42.3 million player option on June 29 and still has not signed a new contract, though he and the Cavaliers have been working through a new multi-year deal.
For Irving, the rating is another reminder that the league still views his handle as elite, even though he has not played since March 3, 2025. He tore the ACL in his left knee against Sacramento and had reconstructive surgery on March 27.
Dallas said on Feb. 18 that he would not return during the 2025-26 season, which marked the first full season he has missed in 15 years in the league. The team has since described him as fully recovered.
Irving’s contract situation has also stayed in the spotlight. Last July, he turned down a $42.9 million player option and signed a three-year, $118.5 million deal on July 6.
He is due $39.5 million in 2026-27 and has a $42.4 million player option for 2027-28. The contract also includes a 15% trade bonus.
Dallas looks very different now than it did the last time these ratings came out. Much of the front office has changed, with Masai Ujiri hired as president of basketball operations in May, Jason Kidd let go about two weeks later, and Mike Schmitz brought in as general manager. The Mavericks then announced Dusty May as the franchise’s next head coach on the day of the 2026 NBA Draft.
The on-court picture has shifted, too. Dallas went 26-56 and picked ninth in the draft.
Cooper Flagg was named Rookie of the Year for the 2025-26 season, though he and Irving still haven’t played a game together. The Mavericks open the preseason against Houston in China, which will be Irving’s first possible game since returning from injury.
The ball-handling rankings were part of a broader run of 2K reveals, following categories for three-point shot, vertical, driving dunk and speed with ball. Curry led the three-point list, De’Aaron Fox topped speed with ball at 97, Anthony Edwards led driving dunk, and Amen Thompson and Tobi Lawal shared the highest vertical rating.
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