NBA The Run is dropping in 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam. And if you’re the type who wants every unlockable character, banner, and pile of in-game currency the moment you boot it up, you’ll want to understand the rank system before anyone else does.
The game is a fast-paced 3v3 arcade street basketball game with NBA stars, and it’s pushing a rewards track that goes all the way to Rank 50. That’s a lot of grind. But the payoff? It includes five street legends, a ton of cosmetic banners, and up to 5,000 Cred — the in-game currency — by the time you hit Rank 49. That’s enough to buy a new character from the shop without spending real money.
How the Rank System Works
It’s simple: play games, earn XP. Longer tournament runs give you more XP, so the better you play, the faster you climb. There’s no trick to it. You just need to keep playing and winning. The rank rewards are handed out as you level up, and they’re not all created equal.
Some ranks give you 50 Cred. Others give you 100. A few give you 300 or 500. The characters drop at specific milestones: Shen Tong, Destiny Jackson, El Gigante, Spin Cycle, and Bobbito Garcia — the NBA Street announcer himself — all show up as rank rewards. Bobbito Garcia is the final character unlock, and he comes with an Army Camo Banner at the same tier.
Every Rank Reward (the Short Version)
You’ll earn Cred at almost every rank, starting with 50 Cred at Rank 1 and climbing to 600 Cred at the top tiers. Banners are sprinkled throughout — Electric Purple, Blue Field, Golden, Green Streaks, The Prodigy, Blue Splash, Dotted Field, Crumbling Grey, Purple Diamond, Sharpshooter, Magenta Scribble, Palm Breeze, Worn Cement, Diamond Tread, The Spaniard, White Tiger Stripes, Zone Scribble, Razor Edge, Shark Teeth, Street Hustler, Cutting Edge, Tiger Stripes, Ripple, and Donqueooo. Yes, Donqueooo is a real banner name.
The characters are the big draw, though. Shen Tong unlocks early. Destiny Jackson comes mid-track. El Gigante, Spin Cycle, and Bobbito Garcia are later. You’ll also get banners with each character unlock.
Why Bother with Banners?
Banners are purely cosmetic. They don’t make you play better. But they look cool and they’re free. If you’re the kind of player who wants to flex a Purple Diamond or Shark Teeth banner in the lobby, you’ll need to grind those ranks anyway. And since the Cred you earn along the way can be used to buy other characters, badges, taunts, and more, there’s no reason to skip the rewards track.
One thing fans online have noted: the total Cred payout is 5,000 by Rank 49. That’s not nothing. In a game where characters cost Cred, that means you can unlock at least one premium character without paying extra. Whether that’s enough to stay competitive or just cosmetic depends on how the shop prices things. The devs haven’t confirmed pricing yet.
For now, the best advice is to start playing and keep winning. Longer runs mean more XP, which means faster rank-ups. And if you want all five street legends and Bobbito Garcia, you’ll be playing for a while.
We’ll update this when the full game drops and the community figures out the fastest grind routes. Until then, good luck on the court.
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