Kobe Bryant
Kobe Bryant (R) poses for a photo taken by Juan Ocampo (rear) to be used in a video game during a media day at the Lakers practice facility in El Segundo, California. Reuters/ Danny Moloshok

"NBA Playgrounds" is expected to come out later next month, bringing some arcade fun that calls to mind the bobble-headed version like “NBA Jam,” which was a hit back in the 90s. The new version somehow appends that offering, a mix of current and legendary NBA names strutting their wares in various basketball court settings.

The suspense on which players will be available for "NBA Playgrounds" is finally out, though there are notable names missing. That includes legendary NBA players like Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and even the recently retired Kobe Bryant.

Sabre Interactive, the group behind "NBA Playgrounds," could have had licensing or right issues explaining why these names were not in the full pro launch roster of the upcoming game. For those unfamiliar with the game developer, they are the same group behind "Halo: The Master Chief Collection" and co-developer for the upcoming "Quake Champions."

As far as the absence of some legends, there may have been pricing issues. it is possible that they could be made available through DLC, PlayStation Lifestyle reported.

The actual reason behind has yet to be explained. For now, all 30 NBA teams will be featured on "NBA Playgrounds," probably more than enough to keep players busy. LeBron James, Aaron Gordon, Zach LaVine and Blake Griffin are included, all likely to be armed with a repertoire of crazy dunking abilities. With a level-up feature, the abilities of players are likely to vary.

The legends should be something to watch as well. Shaquille O’Neal, Allen Iverson, Karl Malone, Larry Johnson, Magic Johnson, Mitch Richmond, Dominique Wilkins and Spud Webb should be a treat to check out, pairing them together or with some of the current stars in the mix.

Despite some missing names, "NBA Playgrounds" already comes with more than enough NBA player characters to deal with. Some may receive criticism, though such is nothing new to popular game titles such as this.

An image gallery of the players for "NBA Playgrounds" can be found on GameSpot. Being an arcade game, expect the sample of cartoon-like images to try and come close to the actual image and likeness of the NBA cagers.

"NBA Playgrounds" is scheduled to be digitally released globally this May for the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Gamers will need to shell out $20 for the game, a bit heavy in the pocket but loom as a good buy for the ones crazy about NBA-themed games. For those who haven’t seen the trailer of "NBA Playgrounds," check out the video below.

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