Dribbling is all about ball control and serves as the foundation for both passing and shooting. Once in possession, it keeps the ball bouncing when stationary and maintains momentum as the player advances towards the paint. In other words, dribbling helps you protect the ball and move it effectively from point A to B.
Just like the real game, NBA 2K26 does a phenomenal job of simulating dribbling, surpassing its predecessors. Here, it’s not just about bouncing the ball and advancing towards a spot — it includes everything between navigating around defenders and creating spaces. From basic moves to ankle-breaking show-offs that turn heads, here’s an in-depth dribble tutorial for NBA 2K26.
Things To Consider While Dribbling
There are a couple of important factors to keep in mind before you put these moves to the test. While this tutorial strives to deliver all of the science behind dribbling as simply as possible, you can’t get used to it overnight. Make sure to test them out against AI and develop steady muscle memory to never miss out on a game-changing opportunity.
Here, spamming is your enemy, so be careful with timing and learn when to build up effective combos. Speaking of combos, show them off when your opponent least expects it. You can even confuse them by blending a couple of moves and acting completely unpredictable with your dribbling routine. Additionally, use dribbling wisely, as it can significantly drain your stamina, leaving you with no juice when you need it the most.
With that in mind, let’s dive into the dribble moves and how to perform them effectively.
Signature Size-Ups
These moves are pretty simple to execute and can be mastered in minutes. Below are all of the basics and combos for signature size-ups:
Basics
Not just the signatures, the right stick is going to be your best friend throughout all dribbling moves. Here, flicking it towards your non-ball hand helps you perform a basic size-up. Different directions mean different moves; below are all of them:
- Flicking up left or right: Executes front crossover
- Flicking left or right: Executes a crossover between the legs
- Flicking down left or right: Executes back crossover
- Flicking down: Quick step back
Combos
The steps to perform combos are just as simple, but can feel a little complex during execution.
- Simple Combos: While dribbling, just move the right stick left-right repeatedly and perform simple combos.
- Combo Sequences: For these, try to combine simple combos with right stick up flicks, and you’ll chain sequences.
Remember, these moves can make you lose control of the ball easily. Make sure to practice them, and to maintain command, hold L2/LT just after flicking the dribble stick left-right twice.
Explosive Behind The Back
You can chain out of any dribble move with style by performing an explosive behind-the-back. Here’s what you need to do:
- Hold the Turbo
- Initiate a back crossover
- Now flick the left stick in your desired direction before the ball reaches another hand.
To make things simple, take this formula as an example: Ball in left hand, move right stick down – right + hold left stick up – right.
Quick Launches And Speed Bursts
Quick launching is vital for instant location changes. To successfully execute one, flick the right stick in the direction you want to launch and hold R2/RB. This way, you’ll slingshot into your desired space fast. For speed bursts, just move the dribble stick up-right or up-left while sprinting; the overall behaviour of your burst depends on your chosen dribble style.
Burst Combos
With speed bursts, you can also combo out of them and advance with style and precision. To fill the court with seamless transitions and attacks, follow these steps:
- Launch by moving the left stick towards the desired direction
- Flick the right stick towards the chosen direction
- Make sure to hold the left stick towards the basket
Escape Dribbles
Escape dribbles allow you to create spaces. The most handy move here is the crossover step back. By holding R2/RB and flicking the right stick downwards, you can take a quick step back and have a space reset. Similarly, you can also initiate multiple escape dribble moves with the desired stick flicks while maintaining pressure on your right triggers.
Lonzo Ball Push
Used by the pros, the Lonzo Ball Push is a signature crossover that gives you sharp directional changes with fluid chaining, helping you excel at offense. To show it off on court, follow these steps:
- With the ball in the left hand, sprint
- Move dribble stick up-right
- With the ball transferred to the right hand, move the dribble stick up-left
Spin Moves
There are multiple spin techniques you can use to mind-bend your opponents:
- Basic Spin: This can be performed in both situations, whether moving or stationary. Identify your non-ball hand and simply rotate your right stick clockwise or anticlockwise.
- Spin Combos: Once you execute a spin, just move the dribble stick in your desired direction for combos.
- Crossover Spin: Identify the non-ball hand, move the right stick towards it, and initiate a spin.
- Spin Cancellation: Here, you’ll be performing a half-spin launch. Initiate a spin, hold R2/RB, and flick the left stick down.
Hesitations
Another confusing move set is the hesitations. By performing these, you can fool your opponents with fake throws and increase drama near the paint.
- Escape Hesitation: Flick the dribble stick towards the ball hand while holding the turbo.
- In and Out Combo: Flick the dribble stick up then towards the ball hand while holding the turbo.
Nutmeg
Nutmegging means squeezing the ball between an opponent’s legs and creating open driving lanes. This move is as flashy as it sounds and is embarrassing for the victim as well. Here’s how to nutmeg someone:
- Head to the victim
- Move the dribble stick diagonally down
- Now, quickly move it horizontally to channel the ball between the legs
Quick Stops
Last but not least, quick stops can open promising scoring opportunities by catching the defenders off guard. Here, your player stops for a split second, creates tension, and then shoots instantly to dodge opponents. To initiate quick stops, move the dribble stick up and shoot instantly to bring in some points.
This is how you perform all the dribbling moves in NBA 2K26. While they can seem tricky at first, performing them in practice will help you get used to them pretty quickly. If you’re a complete beginner, start with the basics, and don’t move on until you’ve fed them into your muscle memory.
Once that happens, try the moves out in a game, and if you feel comfortable, you’re ready for the next step. Now, learn the more advanced tricks, and repeat the process. By doing so, you’ll become a master of dribbling in no time.
