Primary Subject: NBA 2K26 MyTeamKey Update: Five essential Dark Matter cards selected by position to form a complete starting lineup. Status: Picks based on current MyTeam meta.Last Verified: April 27, 2026 Quick Answer: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG), Rudy Gay (SG), Tim Thomas (SF), David Robinson (PF), and Victor Wembanyama (C) make the strongest five-card Dark Matter lineup in NBA 2K26 MyTeam right now.
I'll admit that building a MyTeam lineup in NBA 2K26 has started to feel like grocery shopping while you're hungry. There are 75+ Dark Matter cards in circulation, half of them look great in previews, but the moment you commit MT to one card, three more drop on Friday, and this makes you wonder if you bought the wrong thing.
The temptation in this game to pull out your wallet is unbelievably crazy. Don't do it. At least, not every time. Why? Because all you need in MyTeam at this point in NBA 2K26's life is 5 great cards.
Most of the rest can range from average to good cards because they're just to sub-in when you're playing Domination. The cards below are the five I'd build a starting lineup around, picked one per position. Let's go!
#1 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Point Guard)
If there's a single best Dark Matter card in NBA 2K26 right now, it's Shai. All of the debates and conversations about who's currently the best in the game right now, both in real life and NBA 2K, almost always narrow to two or three names, and Shai is in every one of those conversations. Personally, I think he's flat out the best 2-way player today.
What makes him a no-brainer in a MyTeam squad isn't limited to any single factor. His jump shot is fast, he has good signature dribbles, and his on-ball handling is genuinely responsive in a way that other Dark Matter cards in the same position don't quite manage.
Plus, he defends well enough that you can leave him on a high-tier opposing guard like Chris Paul. But most importantly, Shai is tall enough at the point guard position that he doesn't get bullied into a mismatch or a pick-and-roll switch in every other possession.
If you pulled Shai from a Void Deluxe pack and you're still not sure whether it'd be worth swapping him from an explosive or super-fast player like Westbrook, I'd say that Shai is worth building a team around. He can be the spine of any lineup. Your entire offense bends around what your point guard can do, and Shai can do everything on both sides of the floor.
#2 Rudy Gay (Shooting Guard)
Naming Rudy Gay as one of the best shooting guards in MyTeam right now sounds like a setup for a punchline. Except, it's not. In fact, Dark Matter Rudy Gay is as broken as it can get. His jump shot is one of the cleanest in the game, and with a 7'3" wingspan, he's able to hold his own on the defensive end.
The shooting guard pool is, to be a bit frank, thinner than it should be at this stage in the game's life cycle. There are other options, such as Kyle Korver, if you want a pure shooter, or J.R Smith, if you'd rather slide him in the two spot, but none of the current SG options can even compete with Rudy Gay.
Why? Because he simply doesn't have a glaring weakness that you can exploit. He has the length to bother shots without committing to a full contest, and he's also fast enough to run the floor in transition and posterize any defender in the paint.
I have to warn you, though, that finding a Rudy Gay card today is like finding a needle in a haystack. So if you ever luck out on pulling him or he's available at the market and you have the cash to spend, don't let him out of your sight!
#3 Tim Thomas (Small Forward)
Tim Thomas is the easiest pick on this list. He's an obvious S-tier and one of, if not the best, players at the Small Forward position. Sorry, LeBron fans, but Tim Thomas quietly takes the cake at the SF position without a doubt.
If you don't know who he is, he played for seven teams in the NBA, most notably known for his 2003-2004 Milwaukee Bucks run with legendary shooter Michael Redd. If he'd played in today's NBA, he'd be the prototype for a Tobias Harris, Lu Dort, or Josh Hart archetype.
Now, what gets him on a MyTeam squad is that he checks all of the things that you'd want for a small forward. He has a great jumpshot and release, he has the height and length to be a 3-and-D, and while he's not the best defender in this position, he is the most playable of the lot.
He won't pull you out of an offensive set with a slow release, and he can let you play 5-man out because he can shoot.
#4 David Robinson (Power Forward)
David Robinson is a no-brainer in my opinion. In NBA 2K26's MyTeam, where the power forward position is something that you can fill with the likes of Shaq, Patrick Ewing, Joel Embiid, and Tim Duncan, I have a good enough reason why you should place David Robinson atop the Mt. Rushmore of power forwards in your squad today.
Sure, it does sound blasphemous that I would pick David Robinson instead of Shaq or, better yet, instead of the "Big Fundamental," the greatest power forward of all time, Tim Duncan, but the thing is, David Robinson is just outright better than him in MyTeam. Here's why:
David Robinson at 7'1" is almost Shaq-like in terms of height and overall size, and for that alone, he's a better player than Tim Duncan.
He comes with a better jumper, and most importantly, he has Shai's escape move, plus a couple of legendary badges, such as Aerial Wizard, Boxout Beast, Brick Wall, Interceptor, and High Flying Denier, to name a few that can cement him as your starting power forward in MyTeam.
If you want to put on a defensive clinic by way of a block party in MyTeam, then David Robinson is your guy. He is a pure defender, but also one who isn't super limited in his finishing and mid-range prowess.
#5 Victor Wembanyama (Center)
At this point, every MyTeam squad should have Victor Wembanyama at its center spot. He's the best center in today's game, and he's the best center in MyTeam without question.
He's a 7'4" center that can shoot the three, block shots, run in transition, dribble, pass, and defend. There is no other center that can come close to Victor Wembanyama in MyTeam right now.
Sure, the center pool has plenty of great options, such as Shaq, Greg Oden, Jokic, or Yao Ming, but all of those centers have limitations that Wemby doesn't. If you want a super versatile center who can protect the rim and pop out for a jumper, this is the best card that you can have.
The only catch here is the price. Whatever Wemby costs on the market right now is always higher than what you'd normally pay for a superstar big man, but he's worth every penny.
There's always a temptation in MyTeam to chase every card that gets called S-tier in a video or tier list, and a lot of Dark Matter cards in rotation make that temptation worse.
That said, my one rule in building a squad is to always get 5 cards that fit together. The bench building comes in easily after that.
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