Play NBA Live 99 Online

Summary

NBA Live 99, often just called Live 99, introduced a Practice Mode that let me warm up on the court before diving into the action. The real surprise was the multi‑season play, where players actually develop year over year, laying the groundwork for what would later become a full Franchise Mode. Even without free agency or generated rookies, the evolving rosters gave each season a fresh feel. It felt like the game was trying to let you build a dynasty, not just win a single matchup.

Because the 1998‑99 NBA lockout froze player movement, the game shipped with 1997‑98 rosters, which was a bit jarring at first. A dedicated fan site rallied for a patch, and EA eventually released two official updates that refreshed the rosters for the 98‑99 season. Those patches were easy to apply thanks to the same file formats used in Live 98, and the community even created custom edits with the EA Graphics Editor. It was a reminder of how passionate the NBA Live community was about keeping the game current.

On the court, Live 99 added jab steps, fake passes, aggressive rebounding and high‑flying dunks that made each play feel more authentic. The Pro‑Action AI reacted smarter, while TV‑style cameras and enhanced commentary gave a broadcast vibe. Graphics boasted real‑time lighting, fully modeled heads, and hundreds of animations, and the new Sports Ticker let you check live scores via the Internet. The Nintendo 64 version was essentially an updated port of Live 98, whereas the PC and PlayStation builds suffered a fatigue bug that was later patched.