NBA 2K20 announced that it has added William Floyd to the roster. While it appears that this is simply a new addition, it’s more than that. The 15-year-old Floyd is the first non-NBA athlete to join the game as a playable character. This was made possible through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, as Floyd is suffering from a rare genetic disorder that causes sever muscle weakness along with heart problems.
When he was 18 months old, William was diagnosed to have his condition. Because of this, he wasn’t allowed to play any sports, much less basketball. However, NBA 2K20 had allowed him to still be competitive, albeit on a virtual level. As such, when Floyd was approached by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, his wish was to be able to visit the headquarters of NBA 2K in California. While he was already set to experience a truly unforgettable tour, the team over at NBA 2K went one step further. They had his likeness professionally scanned in order to add him to the game as a playable roster member and thus make him accessible to millions of gamers.
Indeed, once he got to the studio, Floyd was given the same treatment as that of NBA stars. He had his moves captured through the 140 motion capture cameras in the 2K Motion Capture Studio. His likeness was then recreated through the Pixelgun cameras, which brought his model to life. He also managed to talk to different teams involved with NBA 2K and gave some of his input for the game.
In a press release, Ronnie Singh over at 2K shared that when they heard about Floyd's wish, everyone was excited. They learned about his personal story and wanted a way not only to make his wish come true, but to do it in the biggest way possible. Singh went on to say that 2K “couldn’t think of a better way to do that than bringing his passion to life in-game and giving millions of NBA 2K fans around the world the chance to enjoy William’s player model.”
Floyd himself revealed that when it comes to players, they have their own moves before entering the court and that he “got to create” his own.
Julie, William’s mom, said that they never expected that 2K would bring the wish to a new level. She shared that they were treated “like royalty and were so interested in everything William had to offer them. It was absolutely unbelievable.”
