Monday, Nov. 9

The ABC Challenge has a new name.

Fifteen thousand games in, the NBA ABC Challenge becomes Ball26. Same game, same crew, and a name that finally says what it’s about: basketball knowledge, A to Z.

First, thank you

We launched in May and it’s been a wild ride. 15,000+ games played since then, and we’ve been watching and learning from every one of them. We tried things. Some worked, some didn’t. The players who stuck with us through the beta are the reason there’s a season two.

The biggest thing we learned: this game was never about the letters. It’s about you. The players you reach for first, the era you keep going back to, the backups only a real one remembers.

Why Ball26

Twenty-six letters. One board a day. Name an NBA player for every letter you’re given, beat the clock, and see what your answers say about you. Know ball. A to Z.

“NBA ABC Challenge” described the mechanic. Ball26 describes the game. It’s short, it’s ours, and it gives the thing you play every day an identity of its own. It is still a Hoopwrld game, built by the same two people, and it still lives next to everything else we make for hoopers.

The name is the small part. Two things underneath it are the reason to care.

Your NBA DNA

Every player you name is a data point about you. Reach for the 2004 Pistons bench and you’re telling us something. Pull Steve Mix out of nowhere on an M and you’re telling us something else. Over enough boards, a pattern shows up: the teams you lean on, the eras you own, the corners of the league you know better than anyone around you.

Your NBA DNA is where that pattern becomes visible. You’ll see your top five teams and the Courts you play on. A Court is one team in one era, and there are 150 of them across the league.

King of the Court

Every Court has a King: the player sitting at #1 on it right now. Climb to the top of your Court and the crown is yours for as long as you can hold it. Lose it and the badge greys out in your Trophy Case, still there, still yours, with a note on how long you reigned. Someone will always come for it. That’s the point.

A sixth era is on the way. Pick the team and the era you actually know, and go take the Court.

What changes on Nov. 9, and what doesn’t

We’ve never done this before, so we’re taking it a step at a time. If something looks off along the way, reply to any email from us and say so.

Two badges before the name changes

Thursday, Nov. 5: The Standard, a one-day badge for Coach Saban on the night of the ESPN finale. Seven random letters, NBA players from the four schools he coached.

Wednesday, Nov. 11: Ernie Johnson – Thank You, the first badge to drop under the Ball26 name. Point guards with a ring. Yes, Kenny counts.

Both are gone at midnight. Both go in your Trophy Case.

Ball26 is a Hoopwrld game. Not affiliated with the NBA or any team. Feature availability may change as we roll out the new brand.