The Alley-oop is one of the most exciting plays that can happen on the offensive side of the ball in basketball. The play sees one player toss the ball up near the rim for another player to grab and slam home with some authority, preferably posterizing a defender in the process. NBA 2K25 gives you the same opportunity to throw up alley oops on offense, but they require some skill to achieve properly.

Fortunately, the alley oop isn’t as complicated as it might seem when you’re first trying to pull one off. All you need to do is synchronize two of your teammates and press a button to initiate the exciting play and wow the crowd. Below, we’ll go into everything you need to know about the alley oop, how to perform one, and the right time to do so in NBA 2K25.

What Are Alley Oops In NBA 2K25?

Alley oops are essentially passes that immediately turn into two points if they’re used correctly in NBA 2K25. You can perform an alley oop to a teammate, which is usually how they’re done, but you can also throw an alley oop to yourself when handling the ball.

The regular alley oop usually involves a player at the top of the key dribbling the ball and throwing a pass to a cutting player near the rim. The pass should hit the cutting player in stride as they jump on their way to dunking the ball. You can also perform an alley oop on the run if the player dribbling the ball has a tall defender in their path that makes shooting a basket difficult.

As for the self alley oop, this sees your controlled player throw the ball up to themselves, usually via the backboard, and catch it in the air before throwing down a dunk. This is a much tougher alley oop to pull off, as the path to the basket needs to be clear for the pass and the catch.

How To Throw A Regular Alley Oop In NBA 2K25

Let’s start with a standard alley oop in NBA 2K25, which is between you and a teammate. Before you start pressing buttons to initiate an alley oop, you need to make sure the situation is right for the play.

If the situation is what you want, follow these steps to throw an alley oop:

• While controlling your player dribbling the ball, double tap Y/Triangle as your targeted player is on their way to the basket or standing near the rim
• As soon as you double tap the button, you then need to use your left joystick to target the player who is receiving the pass
• When you select the player receiving the ball, press X/Square to dunk the ball after the player has caught the pass in the air
• This initiates a dunk and finishes off the alley oop

The timing is everything, as you need to ensure your player has enough time to catch and dunk the ball. Of course, your player could also be standing alone under the rim, in which case, all you need to do is make sure you press all the buttons correctly. The player who receives the pass also needs to have a high jump and dunk rating, otherwise, there’s a solid chance the play will end up in a turnover.

How To Throw A Self Alley Oop In NBA 2K25

Now that you know about how to throw regular alley oops, it’s time to try and throw one to yourself. This is a bit trickier to pull off, as you need a player with a high jump and dunk rating dribbling the ball, little resistance in front of you, and to press the correct buttons.

Here’s how to throw an alley oop to yourself:

• When you’re controlling the player dribbling the ball, cut to the basket from a straight away angle
• At roughly the free throw line’s distance away, press A/B or X/Circle at the same time. This makes your player throw a pass to themselves, either in the air or off the backboard
• As the pass is going up, press X/Square to catch the pass and initiate a dunk
• As long as there’s not too much resistance in your way and you’re the right distance away, your player should throw down a huge dunk

Naturally, the self alley oop is going to be more of a niche play than the alley oop, which is already pretty rare to pull off. However, you might as well have the play in your back pocket in case you find yourself in the right situation for it, or you want to electrify the crowd with a flashy play.

Happy dunking!