NBA 2K22 player discovers Super Mario in-game with unexpected crossover

Lawrence Scotti
nba 2k super mario tanooki

An NBA 2K22 player was stunned after discovering Super Mario in-game in the form of a tattoo on Oklahoma City Thunder center Mike Muscala.

Each year, the popular basketball-sim NBA 2K gets more and more visually realistic. This yearโ€™s version, NBA 2K22, is no exception as players are nearly indistinguishable from their real-life counterparts.

The NBA 2K developers, Visual Concepts, have achieved such realistic recreations of real NBA players by replicating their real tattoos into the game.

One playerโ€™s tattoo specifically has caught fansโ€™ attention for bringing Super Mario into the 2K universe.

NBA 2K22 was released on September 10, 2021.

NBA 2K22 player shocked to find Super Mario

On May 26, Reddit user Low_Confusion200 posted a picture of Thunder player Mike Muscala with a back tattoo of Tanooki Mario from Super Mario Bros 3.

Muscala has had the Tanooki Mario tattoo for years, and it seems like the Nintendo mascot made it into the game as a piece of art on Mikeโ€™s body.

THe post instantly shot up to the top of the NBA 2K subreddit with 300 upvotes.

Fans under the post pointed out how Nintendo might not be too happy to see their character in a game they have no hand in.

One user said, โ€œNintendo lawsuit incoming.โ€

Despite the potential legal problems that could stem from including his Nintendo tattoo, fans enjoyed the unexpected crossover.

Muscala has become beloved by many basketball fans for his gaming-inspired tattoo which has now appeared in many NBA broadcasts over the years.

Hopefully, one day, the NBA and Nintendo universes can collide once again NBA Street Vol. 3 style.

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About The Author

Lawrence is a former Dexerto writer, based in New York City, who covered entertainment and games for Dexerto focusing on Hearthstone, World of Warcraft, NBA 2K, and any indie game he can review.