Few states have produced the level of consistency across the years in the NBA quite like the three franchises in Texas.
Between the five-time champion San Antonio Spurs, the two-time champion Houston Rockets and the Dallas Mavericks’ title in 2011, the Lone Star State has brought home the Larry O’Brien trophy at a historic rate since the dawn of the 21st century.
The on-court success of the past doesn’t necessarily correlate to the present, however, as only one of Texas’ three teams (the Mavericks) has a player rated 85 or above in the league’s marquis video game. With NBA 2K24 now out, BetTexas.com took a break from covering Texas sportsbooks and utilized 2Kratings.com to see which teams have the most star power with players of 85-plus overall.
85+ Overall Ratings In NBA 2K24
Although there are no Texas betting apps, national operators list Boston and Denver as the NBA title favorites this season at +475.
Texas NBA Talent Has Fallen on Hard Times
With the Rockets and Spurs squarely in the midst of an ongoing rebuild, and the Mavs’ looking to rebound after a disappointing 2023 late season collapse, there’s a void in star power. Of the three NBA teams in Texas, only the Mavericks have a player rated 85 or above, with Dallas possessing two players of such caliber — Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. The other two were among the five teams to have zero players ranked 85 or higher.
Given that lack of statewide star power, it’s likely of little surprise oddsmakers at BetMGM Sportsbook — there is no BetMGM Texas — give the Mavericks, Rockets and Spurs lowly championship odds. Dallas is the state’s top championship contender, coming in at +2200, while the Spurs are listed at +25000 and the Rockets are even further down the list, at +35000.
