NBA 2K25: How To Dunk Instead Of Layup

One of the most frustrating things that can happen to you on the court in NBA 2K25 is your player not doing what you want them to. Whether that’s not switching on to the right player or shooting prematurely, you always expect your player to perform the action that you want. However, for one reason or another, sometimes that doesn’t happen. Perhaps the most common scenario of a player not doing what you want is when you go in for a dunk, and your player lays the ball off the glass instead.

Not only does this mess up a potential highlight reel play, but layups are far more commonly defended and blocked than dunks. You also have a much higher chance of missing a bunny due to various factors, so this mishap can often cost your team two points.

Fortunately, there are some actions you can take to ensure your player never goes up for a layup instead of a dunk again in NBA 2K25.

Fixes For Doing A Layup Instead Of A Dunk In NBA 2K25

There are a few things you want to check and ensure you’re doing in-game to give your player the best chance possible to perform a dunk and not a layup.

Dunk Animations

First, make sure that you have dunk animations equipped in NBA 2K25. You can do this by going to MyPlayer and selecting the “Animations” option. Now, choose the “Dunk Style Creator” option to create and set specific types of dunks. Most of these need to be purchased with VC.

To perform the dunks you create, you also must ensure that your player meets the requirements for pulling off those specific dunks. For example, to perform different levels of contact dunks, your player needs to have a certain height, vertical rating, and dunk rating. You can see all the dunk requirements in NBA 2K25 by reading our previous guide.

Stats

Once you have double-checked that you have dunk animations equipped, you’ll also want to check on some other stats for your player in NBA 2K25. For starters, speed plays a large role in whether your player can dunk regularly. If your player has lower speed, they’ll likely go in for a layup more often than not. There’s no exact speed stat threshold needed to dunk more, but increasing the stat will result in more dunks.

Obviously, you also want the highest vertical rating stat possible, as this determines how high your player can jump. The higher they can jump, the more dunks they’re able to pull off. And, as we mentioned with the dunk animations, if your player isn’t at the right height, they won’t be able to dunk nearly as often as taller players can.

Game Mechanics

Moving on from out-of-game settings, there are a couple of in-game factors that play into whether or not your player dunks or layups in NBA 2K25.

For starters, to perform a dunk consistently, you’ll want the clearest path to the basket possible. If your dunking lane is contested at all, there’s a high probability that your player won’t be able to dunk over the defenders blocking your way. This triggers a layup animation instead of the dunk animation, even if you pressed all the right buttons to perform a dunk. Of course, if you have a high enough vertical rating, height, and a high-level dunk animation equipped, there is still a chance your player could dunk over multiple defenders on their way to the hoop.

Speaking of hitting the right buttons, certain dunks require you to press different buttons in NBA 2K25. You can see what buttons you need to press for specific dunks below:

• Basic/Standing Dunks: Flick and hold the right analog stick up
• Two-Handed Dunks: Flick and hold the right analog stick down
• Dunk Meter Dunks: Flick the right analog stick up and then hold it down

Using the Dunk Meter is often the best way to ensure your player goes for a dunk, but using it can be a little confusing in NBA 2K25. We specifically covered how to enable and use the Dunk Meter in a previous guide if you want more details.

As long as you’re using the right combination of analog stick motions for the dunk you’re going for, though, you should be able to pull them off consistently.

Of course, there will always be times when your player goes for a layup instead of a dunk; that’s just how 2K works. If you use the tips we’ve laid out above, though, you should see the percentage of dunks go up and the percentage of mistaken layups go down.

That’s all we have on how to dunk and not layup in NBA 2K25. If you want to learn how to do some of the flashiest dunks in the game, make sure to check out our guide.