NBA Live 2000 on N64 was one of those games that made you feel like you were actually calling the shots on the court—even if your actual basketball skills were more "dad at a family BBQ" than NBA-ready. The graphics were solid for the time, with player models that actually looked like their real-life counterparts (MJ’s fadeaway was instantly recognizable).

What really hooked me was the Franchise Mode—you could tweak lineups, trade players, and pretend you were some basketball genius. I spent way too many nights trying to build the perfect team, only to realize I had no idea how salary caps worked. The gameplay’s a mix of arcade-y fun and just enough realism to keep you from feeling like you’re playing with cartoon characters.

It’s definitely aged, but if you’re into retro sports games, this one’s still a blast to fire up for some late-'90s hoops nostalgia.