For 99% of users, and Fix #3 (GPU Switching) will solve the problem. The game is ten years old, and modern computers need a little hand-holding to run it.
The "Failed to Initialize" error is a common issue that occurs when trying to launch NBA 2K14. The error message typically appears as: How To Fix Nba 2k14 Failed To Initialize
Instead of the game using Windows' broken DirectX 9 drivers, it sends the data to this d3d9.dll , which translates it on the fly to Vulkan (a modern graphics API). This bypasses the "Failed to Initialize" error entirely. Note: This may cause a slight shader stutter the first time you play a quarter, but after that, it runs smoother than vanilla. For 99% of users, and Fix #3 (GPU
Download the DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer to automatically add missing legacy files like xinput1_3.dll . The error message typically appears as: Instead of
Right-click the (or the .exe file in the installation folder). Select Properties > Compatibility tab.
If your settings file is corrupted, the game fails to initialize on launch. Deleting it forces the game to create a fresh one.