by Andrew on Wed Feb 08, 2023 1:23 pm
Unfortunately the disc copies are the only legal copies still out there, so from that perspective, you'd need to pick up an external optical drive. However, if you do get one with a key, it will install via Steam and then you don't need to use the disc anymore, which at least saves you from plugging it in every time. I was fortunate that both copies I picked up did have the key included, though the first one was a second hand copy and the key had already been activated on the person's Steam account. The second one had the key and I was good to go from there, but it's definitely a risk when collecting NBA 2K9.
To that point, if someone is selling a second hand copy, ask them if they've already activated the key on Steam (if so, they'll probably want to take down the listing, or specify it's only good for the installation disc). If it's new but unsealed, perhaps they'd be kind enough to check to see if includes the key first. I'm guessing some eBay sellers would be hesitant to open up a sealed copy that might potentially fetch them more money, but if someone's buying it to play and it doesn't have a working key, they might find themselves having to refund it anyway. Basically, if the seller's in a position to check that an unused key is included, it's worth asking about that first.