Online servers for popular games tend to have random periods of downtime from time to time, especially when most players are using online modes. It's an old hat for NBA 2K21, considering how often server issues have cropped up in previous titles, but it also means some players don't have access to certain aspects of the game, as online is necessary to use them.
If you want to make the most of your time with 2K21, you will need to be connected to 2K Online servers. This is the only way to play all modes, including online games of MyCareer or MyTeam.
Fortunately, since 2K understands how important functioning servers are to their games, there are several ways to check if there are server issues affecting NBA 2K titles or any of the company's other games.
Your first option is to check out nba2k.com, the game's official website. There is a dedicated server status page that you can access that will tell you the current status of the NBA servers on each platform.
There is also an individual server status list for each of the game's most popular features, including Locker Codes, Play with Friends, and MyPark. You can also submit error codes on the page, making it easy to give feedback on failures.
You can also check Downdetector for a second option, not running on 2K, which lists all reported crashes, how they affect the game, and any additional player feedback. It lists reports based on the past 24 hours with a breakdown of individual issues and notes on their resolution.
Besides checking these websites for yourself, you can try resetting your own internet connection or restarting the app to try to connect again with a new connection.
