Quick answer
The Anthony Davis GOAT Build in NBA 2K27 costs nothing to unlock. 2K named him in its Season 2 announcement as one of the GOAT Builds "available at release", and he has been in the MyPLAYER Builder's GOAT Builds path since Season 2 launched on Friday, October 16, 2026. No Season level, REP tier or Lifetime Challenges are needed. AD is a 6'10" power forward, 253 lbs, with a 7'2" wingspan, and the only power forward you can make on day one. He's a rim protector who can also do some things away from the basket: 94 Block and 95 Standing Dunk (both tied second of 18), 93 Interior Defense (third), plus a 75 Mid-Range Shot and 70 Ball Handle that most bigs don't have. His overall average of 79.2 is fifth of the 18 GOAT Builds and the highest of the five bigs. At 99 OVR he reaches 41 badges, 3 of them Hall of Fame. Everything here applies to NBA 2K27 Season 2 and was checked on November 10, 2026.
How do you unlock the Anthony Davis GOAT Build?
You don't have to. 2K's Season 2 press release says GOAT Builds "exceed the standard physical and attribute caps of the MyPLAYER Builder" and that "GOAT Builds available at release include Klay Thompson, Carmelo Anthony, Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, and more" (2K Newsroom, October 14, 2026).
- Open the MyPLAYER Builder to create a new MyPLAYER.
- Choose the GOAT Builds path instead of a custom build or Signature Blueprint.
- Pick Anthony Davis. He has no unlock requirement.
- Set Badges, Cap Breakers and Takeovers as you would on any build, then spend VC to raise him to 99 OVR.
Eight of the 18 GOAT Builds are free like this: Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, Kawhi Leonard, Andrei Kirilenko, Klay Thompson, Carmelo Anthony, Penny Hardaway and Gilbert Arenas. Only two of those eight are bigs, AD and Dwight. The other power forward, Dirk Nowitzki, needs Season 2 rewards track Level 33. Hakeem Olajuwon needs REP Elite V, and Wilt Chamberlain needs 350 Lifetime Challenges. Our NBA 2K27 GOAT Builds guide lists how every build unlocks.
Will AD still be there after Season 2? 2K hasn't said whether any GOAT Build changes when Season 3 starts on November 27, 2026. Nothing points to free builds being removed, but if you plan to use AD, create him now rather than later.
What are the Anthony Davis GOAT Build's attributes?
2K says GOAT Build "animations and stats are locked to preserve each player's authentic feel, while keeping full access to Badges, Cap Breakers, and more" (2K Newsroom). The ratings below are AD's fixed 99 OVR numbers from NBA2KLab's GOAT Builds database. They match the goatbuilds.wiki Anthony Davis page, re-checked November 10. The right column is his ceiling with every Cap Breaker slot filled.
| Attribute | Base (99 OVR) | Max with Cap Breakers |
|---|---|---|
| Close Shot | 90 | 95 |
| Driving Layup | 80 | 90 |
| Driving Dunk | 89 | 93 |
| Standing Dunk | 95 | 99 |
| Post Control | 87 | 92 |
| Mid-Range Shot | 75 | 86 |
| Three-Point Shot | 70 | 84 |
| Free Throw | 75 | 94 |
| Pass Accuracy | 65 | 78 |
| Ball Handle | 70 | 78 |
| Speed With Ball | 70 | 70 (above cap) |
| Interior Defense | 93 | 98 |
| Perimeter Defense | 65 | 80 |
| Steal | 60 | 80 |
| Block | 94 | 99 |
| Offensive Rebound | 80 | 85 |
| Defensive Rebound | 89 | 94 |
| Speed | 78 | 78 (above cap) |
| Agility | 70 | 70 (above cap) |
| Strength | 85 | 90 |
| Vertical | 83 | 88 |
Three ratings already sit above the cap a normal 6'10" build would get: Speed 78 against a cap of 74, Speed With Ball 70 against 65, and Agility 70 against 67. That's part of why he moves better than a custom big of the same height.
NBA2KLab's builder card sums up the intended role: "Defensive nightmare. Erases shots at the rim. Lethal pick-and-roll dive partner with unmatchable catch radius and finishing."
How does AD compare to the other 17 GOAT Builds?
We ranked all 18 GOAT Builds on NBA2KLab's base ratings. Here's where AD lands:
- Block 94, tied second with Dwight Howard and Wilt Chamberlain. Only Hakeem (95) is higher.
- Standing Dunk 95, tied second with Wilt, behind Dwight's 99.
- Interior Defense 93, third, behind Hakeem (99) and Dwight (94).
- Finishing average 88.2, second of 18, behind Wilt (89.8) and just ahead of Hakeem (88.0).
- Overall average 79.2, fifth of 18. Only LeBron James, Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Andrei Kirilenko are higher, and he's the top big.
- Steal 60, Perimeter Defense 65 and Pass Accuracy 65 are his weak spots. Pass Accuracy ranks 15th of 18.
The chart uses two simple averages we calculated ourselves, with every rating weighted equally. They describe the ratings, they don't predict how a build plays. Four GOAT Builds have a paint average (Interior Defense, Block and Standing Dunk) of 93 or more: Dwight, Hakeem, AD and Wilt. AD is the only one of the four whose skill average (Mid-Range, Three-Point, Pass Accuracy and Ball Handle) reaches 70. Hakeem is next at 62.8, Wilt is at 42.5 and Dwight at 31.2.
AD vs Dwight, Hakeem, Dirk and Wilt
| Rating | Anthony Davis | Dwight Howard | Hakeem Olajuwon | Dirk Nowitzki | Wilt Chamberlain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Height / Weight | 6'10" / 253 | 6'11" / 265 | 7'0" / 255 | 7'1" / 245 | 7'1" / 275 |
| Unlock | Free | Free | REP Elite V | Season 2 Lv 33 | 350 Lifetime Challenges |
| Block / Interior Defense | 94 / 93 | 94 / 94 | 95 / 99 | 80 / 82 | 94 / 90 |
| Standing Dunk / Close Shot | 95 / 90 | 99 / 88 | 90 / 96 | 70 / 99 | 95 / 99 |
| Mid-Range / Three-Point | 75 / 70 | 25 / 25 | 91 / 40 | 99 / 96 | 70 / 25 |
| Pass Accuracy / Ball Handle | 65 / 70 | 30 / 45 | 60 / 60 | 80 / 60 | 50 / 25 |
| Speed / Vertical | 78 / 83 | 80 / 90 | 65 / 75 | 60 / 72 | 70 / 79 |
| Badges at 99 OVR (HOF) | 41 (3) | 28 (7) | 33-34 (8) | 34-35 (10-11) | 31-32 (8) |
Badge counts come from NBA2KLab and goatbuilds.wiki, which differ by one on a few builds.
AD vs Dwight is the real choice, because both are free. Dwight is the better pure paint big: a 99 Standing Dunk, 94 Defensive Rebound and 90 Vertical, but 25 from mid-range and three and a 30 Pass Accuracy. AD gives up a little at the rim for a jumper, a handle and 13 more badges. If you'll never shoot, take Dwight; our Dwight Howard GOAT Build page has his full card. If you want to pop as well as roll, take AD.
Hakeem is the upgrade at center, with the best Interior Defense and Block of all 18 and a 91 Mid-Range, but he costs a REP climb to Elite V. Dirk is the stretch alternative at power forward, with a much lower 80 Block and 82 Interior Defense. Our best big man GOAT Build comparison covers all five in more depth.
What badges does the Anthony Davis GOAT Build get?
goatbuilds.wiki counts 41 badges at 99 OVR with no Cap Breakers: 3 Hall of Fame, 10 Gold, 14 Silver and 14 Bronze. That's the most of any of the five bigs. The list cites 2KMyPLAYER and other databases. 2K hasn't published GOAT Build badge lists itself, so treat the tiers as community-reported.
- Hall of Fame (3): Aerial Wizard, High-Flying Denier, Off-Ball Pest.
- Gold (10): Float Game, Ghost Stepper, Hook Specialist, Paint Prodigy, Rise Up, Paint Patroller, Post Lockdown, Sync Snatcher, Pogo Stick, Work Horse.
- Silver (14): Physical Finisher, Post Powerhouse, Post Spin Catalyst, Posterizer, Post Fade Phenom, Static Middy, Strong Handle, Unpluckable, Wall Up, Boxout Boss, Crasher, Possession Closer, Brick Wall, Bruiser.
- Bronze (14): Layup Mixmaster, Arc Cadence, Deadeye, Set and Fire, Smooth Operator, Break Starter, Dimer, Lightning Launch, Pace, Versatile Visionary, Immovable Enforcer, Interceptor, Breaker, Flash.
Breadth, not peaks. He has fewer Hall of Fame badges than any other big. Dwight has 7 and Dirk 10 or 11, depending on the source. Finishing is his deepest category, and no Shooting badge goes above Silver (Static Middy). Bronze Deadeye, Set and Fire and Arc Cadence still help a little, but don't expect much badge help on threes.
Is Work Horse worth it on AD? A November 9 r/NBA2k thread asked exactly that: "Not sure workhorse is good on centers or not. Im going to use the AD build." Work Horse reaches Gold on AD with no Cap Breakers, so you get it either way. 2K hasn't published a Work Horse effect for 2K27 outside the in-game badge screen, so read it there before you build around it. Our best defensive badges by position guide covers the badges a big leans on most.
What jump shot and animations does AD use?
GOAT Build animations are locked, so you can't swap these. goatbuilds.wiki lists what players report from the in-game builder:
- Jump shot: Anthony Davis base with both Anthony Davis upper releases, release speed reported as Normal. His free throw, go-to shot and dribble pull-up are all his own too.
- Post: Anthony Davis post fade, post hook and post hop shot.
- Dunks: contact dunks Pro, Pro Bigman and Elite Bigman. Signature dunks Amare Stoudemire.
- Layups: Anthony Davis normal layup and floater, Giannis Antetokounmpo reverse, Naz Reid euro step and hop step.
- Dribbling: Paolo Banchero dribble style, Pro triple threat, Anthony Davis cross spin.
- Motion style: Anthony Davis.
2K hasn't revealed the archetype name or default Takeovers for GOAT Builds.
Why can't I hit AD's jumper online? Players are asking this about the build right now. One player in a November 9 r/NBA2k thread wrote: "I manage to hit 5 in a row in crew ha, and then can't make anything online." They'd tried four different timing cues, and added: "I've spent way too much time (not money) grinding the build to 90 overall." A few things to check before you blame the release:
- Base Three-Point Shot is 70 and Mid-Range 75. Those are big-man numbers, so a contested or late shot will miss more often than on a guard. Cap Breakers can take them to 84 and 86.
- Practice the same shot type you take in games. A catch-and-shoot three, a pull-up and a post fade use different animations on AD.
- Online games can feel different from offline ones. Practice in both, not just in the Gym.
Our guides to how to green your shots and the best jump shot after Update 2.0 cover timing in more detail. You can't change AD's jumper, but you can change how you practice it.
Where should you put AD's Cap Breakers?
AD has room for 80 Cap Breaker steps. Only Speed, Speed With Ball and Agility take none, since they're already above the cap. The biggest steps are all on his weak, perimeter side:
- Steal: +6, +5, +4, +4, +1, from 60 up to 80.
- Free Throw: +5, +5, +4, +3, +2, from 75 up to 94.
- Perimeter Defense: +5, +5, +4, +1, from 65 up to 80.
- Three-Point Shot: +5, +5, +4, from 70 up to 84.
- Ball Handle: +5, +3, from 70 up to 78.
- Mid-Range Shot: +3, +3, +3, +2, from 75 up to 86.
His rim ratings (Block, Interior Defense, Standing Dunk, Close Shot, both rebounds) only gain +1 per step. They're already elite, so spend there last. goatbuilds.wiki's raw-points answer is Steal first (+6), then Perimeter Defense plus Steal twice for three (+16). Raw points aren't everything, though. A step that pushes a rating over a badge threshold can be worth more than a bigger step that doesn't.
Here's how we'd spend them:
- Free Throw, two steps (+10 to 85), if you play full games with fouls, like REC or MyCAREER. A rim-running big draws contact. If you mostly play Park or 3v3, it matters less.
- Steal and Perimeter Defense, two steps each (Steal +11 to 71, Perimeter Defense +10 to 75). It makes switches onto guards less of a free basket, and it may lift a defensive badge a tier. Check the badge screen before you commit.
- Three-Point Shot, two steps (+10 to 80) if you want to play pick-and-pop. Skip it if you'll only roll.
- Then Ball Handle or Mid-Range.
Our where to put Cap Breakers guide explains how Cap Breakers work, and attribute breakpoints shows which ratings unlock badge tiers.
Is the Anthony Davis GOAT Build worth making?
Yes, if you play the 4 or 5 and want to do more than set screens. He's free, he's the top-rated big by overall average, and he's the only elite rim protector among the GOAT Builds with a usable jumper and handle. With 41 badges, there's something to equip in every category.
Maybe not, if you only want to rebound and dunk. Dwight does that better and is also free. If you're willing to grind, Hakeem is the better pure defender at center.
Make him a power forward, not a guard. His Steal and Perimeter Defense start in the 60s, so the build works best defending the paint and the pick-and-roll. If you want a free GOAT Build who defends the perimeter, see our Kawhi Leonard GOAT Build or Andrei Kirilenko GOAT Build guides.
FAQ
How do you get the Anthony Davis GOAT Build in NBA 2K27? He's free. Open the MyPLAYER Builder, choose the GOAT Builds path and pick Anthony Davis. 2K listed him among the GOAT Builds "available at release" when Season 2 launched on October 16, 2026.
What position is the Anthony Davis GOAT Build? Power forward. He's 6'10", 253 lbs, with a 7'2" wingspan. Dirk Nowitzki is the only other power forward GOAT Build.
Is Anthony Davis or Dwight Howard the better free big? AD is more balanced, with a 75 Mid-Range, 70 Ball Handle and 41 badges. Dwight is the better rim-runner, with a 99 Standing Dunk and 90 Vertical, but 25 from mid-range and three.
Can the Anthony Davis GOAT Build shoot threes? Not well at first. His Three-Point Shot is 70 at 99 OVR, and three Cap Breaker slots take it to 84, the cap for his body. No Shooting badge goes above Silver.
What jump shot does the Anthony Davis GOAT Build use? His own Anthony Davis base and both upper releases, with a release speed players report as Normal. You can't change animations on GOAT Builds.
How many Hall of Fame badges does the Anthony Davis GOAT Build get? Three: Aerial Wizard, High-Flying Denier and Off-Ball Pest. That's out of 41 badges at 99 OVR with no Cap Breakers, per goatbuilds.wiki.
More NBA 2K27 Season 2 guides: every GOAT Build and how it unlocks, the 2X REP schedule for the rest of Season 2, and when Season 3 starts.
