Historical what-ifs

Ball is Life

Match up classic players and teams. A simulation engine finds the edge. AI writes the story. Entertainment only — never betting advice.

Run a matchup See plans

One-click debates: Jordan vs LeBron Jordan vs Kobe 1996 Bulls vs 2016 Warriors

How the simulation works

  1. Pick a historical side. Guests get seven classic primes. Signed-in plans search more players, seasons, and teams.
  2. The engine scores the box. Win probability comes from a TypeScript simulation of historical per-game stats — not from the language model.
  3. AI writes the story. Claude narrates the result by plan tier. Share a teaser; keep the deep write-up on higher plans.

How we simulate · More questions · Browse classic scenarios

Classic what-if scenarios

Open a crawlable answer page, or run the same debate in the simulator.

All classic scenarios

Subscription plans

Free to try. Paid tiers add modes and richer narrative. Subscribe from Account.

Free

$0

Classic 1v1 what-ifs with year-based stats and a shareable teaser.

  • Guest demo of seven classic primes
  • Signed-in search at prime season
  • 2 matchups per 24 hours on Free
  • Haiku win blurb and share teaser

Casual

$5/mo

Quick debates: light play-by-play, a hot take, and historical team vs team.

  • Choose player season years
  • Historical team vs team
  • Light play-by-play and hot take

Fan

$9.99/mo

Overall career 1v1s, scouting, narrative styles, and custom teams.

  • Overall career 1v1s
  • Create-your-own teams (save 2)
  • Scouting reports and broadcast or barbershop styles

Super Fan

$19.99/mo

2v2, 3v3, alternate endings, and “why this %?” explainers.

  • 2v2 and 3v3 matchups
  • Overall stats on custom teams (save 4)
  • Alternate endings and why-this-% explainers

Diehard

$49.99/mo

Four-team Semi-Finals brackets with series arcs and a coach’s chalkboard.

  • Semi-Finals mode (4 teams)
  • Series story arcs
  • Coach’s chalkboard

Stan

$99/mo

Full 16-team playoff what-ifs and the deepest historian write-ups.

  • 16-team playoff brackets
  • Historian deep dives (Opus)
  • Save up to 16 custom teams

Frequently asked questions

What is Ball is Life?

Ball is Life is an NBA what-if simulator and subscription product. You pick historical players or teams, a simulation engine estimates a win probability from cached stats, and AI writes a short scenario. It is entertainment only, not betting advice, and it is not affiliated with the NBA.

How do the what-if simulations work?

Win math runs in a TypeScript simulation on our servers, not in the language model. The engine scores each side from historical per-game stats, then runs thousands of noisy iterations to estimate how often one side comes out ahead. Claude writes the story around that result.

Who would win Michael Jordan vs LeBron James?

There is no official answer. Ball is Life simulates a chosen historical season for each player — by default Jordan’s 1995-96 Chicago numbers against LeBron’s 2012-13 Miami numbers — and reports a model favorite. Open the Jordan vs LeBron scenario or run the matchup yourself to see the current simulation.

Is Ball is Life betting advice?

No. Outputs are hypothetical entertainment. Stats omit recent seasons on purpose so the product is not useful for current or last-season betting. Do not use it to place wagers or as a prediction of real games.

Is Ball is Life affiliated with the NBA?

No. Ball is Life is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the NBA or its teams or players. Team and player names appear as plain text for historical reference. We do not use official logos.

What can I run for free?

Guests can run classic 1v1 primes (Jordan, Kobe, LeBron, Shaq, Bird, Magic, and Curry). A free signed-in account can search more players at their prime season, with a daily matchup cap. Paid plans unlock team vs team, custom teams, 2v2/3v3, brackets, and richer AI write-ups.

How much does a Ball is Life subscription cost?

Casual is $5/month, Fan is $9.99, Super Fan is $19.99, Diehard is $49.99, and Stan is $99, all in USD. Free remains available. Upgrade and cancel from the Account page through Clerk Billing.

Why are current NBA seasons missing?

The catalog is historical on purpose. Seasons from roughly the last one to two years are excluded so the product cannot be used as a live-betting edge. In 2026 that means recent and current campaigns stay out of the simulator.