Candace Parker, Rui Hachimura, Luka Dončić, Kareem Abdul-Jabar, Kevin Durant, and Dirk Nowitzki are your ‘NBA 2K22’ cover athletes
2K Sports has recently unveiled the six cover athletes for their latest iteration of the basketball simulator game along with a release date.
The game will have four different editions, namely the Standard edition, Cross-Gen edition, the WNBA 25th Anniversary Special edition, and the 75th Anniversary edition.
The Standard and Cross-Gen Editions will both feature the Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić, with the Standard edition paying homage to his home country Slovenia with colors of blue, white and red.
Huge honor to be on the cover of #NBA2K22. Thanks @NBA2K! pic.twitter.com/ptIhpVNUdN
— Luka Doncic (@luka7doncic) July 14, 2021
NBA 2K will also release an exclusive Standard Edition in Japan which will feature the Washington Wizards’ Rui Hachimura as the cover athlete.
The estimated suggested retail price for the Standard Edition is P3,500 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S, and P3,000 on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows PC, and Xbox One.
Those who wish to play it on both generations will have to pay extra as the Cross-Gen has an estimated SRP of P4,000.
The WNBA 25th Anniversary Special Edition will make history as it will have the first ever woman cover athlete in NBA 2K history, with the WNBA’s standout Candace Parker from the Chicago Sky.
Extremely proud and humbled to be the first female cover athlete in the history of @NBA2K
— Candace Parker (@Candace_Parker) July 14, 2021
I’m honored to work with a company that’s investing in women and betting on us to succeed. I’m hopeful there will be many more badass females to follow ???? pic.twitter.com/WJan4YE7Qt
"The cover of NBA 2K is such a pivotal platform to inspire young ballers, and I wanted future WNBA stars to know that they can be cover athletes too. Representation matters, so this is a special moment of progress for the sport and the series. To be part of this historic cover is a testament to the growth and rising popularity of the women's game, and I'm proud to be the first female cover athlete to be the face of NBA 2K," said Parker on The Big Podcast.
The WNBA 25th Anniversary Special Edition will be released only on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X for an estimated SRP of P3,500, and will not be available outside North America.
The 75th Anniversary Edition of the game will feature three big names in the industry namely Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kareem Adbul-Jabar.
I have 2 big announcements to make: I’m headed to Milwaukee for Game 4 tonite & can’t wait to see all the fans for the win! If you’re lucky enough for me to hear u scream I’ll flip you a signed card. More of a wowzer…
— Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (@kaj33) July 14, 2021
“I’m so excited to be on the cover of #NBA2K22. Thx @NBA2K! pic.twitter.com/JC7MJta5UU
Honored to share @NBA2K's 75th anniversary cover with the greats ?? @kaj33 @swish41 pic.twitter.com/oN8D91VBoj
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) July 14, 2021
Not sure who these other guys are but huge honor to be on cover of #NBA2K22. Thank you @NBA2K pic.twitter.com/Aetu6HblLB
— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) July 14, 2021
The 75th Anniversary Edition has an estimated SRP of P5,000 and features cross-generation access with additional freebies including in-game currency, and exclusive content.
The covers for the Cross-Gen Digital Bundle and NBA 75th Anniversary Edition are paintings by Charly Palmer, an artist known for his work on the culture and history of Black people in America.
NBA 2K22 will be available starting September 22.
(Images from Take-Two Interactive/ 2K Sports)
