On Tuesday, LeBron James was revealed as the cover athlete for the 20th Anniversary Edition of NBA 2K19.
This is the second time James has appeared on the cover of a 2K game. He was also the cover athlete for NBA 2K14. There will be a standard edition of the game that may have a different cover athlete, but I thought it might be interesting to take a look back at all of the covers leading up to this historic one featuring James.
Beginning with 1999′s NBA 2K featuring Allen Iverson, who was the cover athlete for the first five versions, here is every cover (including regional and alternates) during 2K’s history.
(There is a virtual product called MyNBA2K which has featured Karl-Anthony Towns and Paul George as cover athletes in the past, but this list is only for console products.)
The Iverson cover below was the only one to feature a player out of uniform before this year’s 20th Anniversary Edition.
Ben Wallace was the first player other than Iverson to grace the cover of the game. This was his only cover.
Shaquille O’Neal began his first stint as a cover athlete in 2005. He was the face of the franchise for NBA 2K6-2K7. He’d resurface for a Legends Edition for 2K18.
This was the first version of NBA 2K on the last generation of consoles (PS3 and Xbox 360).
The Chris Paul era was a short one with 2K. While with the New Orleans Hornets, Paul graced the cover of the game. At 21, he is still the youngest official cover athlete in the game’s history.
Up to now, Kevin Garnett has only appeared on one cover, despite being an avid 2K player throughout his career. He’s also the first Boston Celtics player to appear on the cover and the only to appear while still active.
In 2009, 2K introduced the concept of interactive, preparatory demos. It was called the NBA 2K10 Draft Combine and reigning Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose was on the cover of the virtual product. He was only 20 years old, but this wasn’t an official cover, so Paul still holds the aforementioned distinction.
In what seemed like a long overdue acknowledgment, Kobe Bryant finally the cover in 2009 for NBA 2K10.
Before 2010, 2K had never put a retired player on the cover of its game. If there was ever a player worth switching things up, it’s Michael Jordan. MJ would land on the cover for this version, the following one and again for a Legends Edition in 2015 for NBA 2K16. The nostalgic component introduced in this version and some of the other features are a big reason 2K has become such a popular series.
NBA 2K13 was the first cover to feature multiple players. Rose finally got the official cover. Kevin Durant would come back for his own singular glory for NBA 2K15 and Blake Griffin was also a part of this trio.
2K marched into the current generation of consoles with James on the cover.
No game had more covers than NBA 2K16.
Last year’s game faced a unique dilemma. For the first time in the game’s history, a cover athlete switched teams after the game’s cover had been printed and distributed, but before its official release. Kyrie Irving’s trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Boston Celtics forced 2K to produce a second cover with him in a C’s uniform.
Who will be on the Standard Edition?
We don’t know yet, but it could be a player like Ben Simmons, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Lonzo Ball or another of the league’s young, up-and-coming stars. Stay tuned for more information and bookmark the NBA 2K19 info tracker.
