Dallas Mavericks superstar guard Luka Doncic and Chicago Sky forward and two-time WNBA MVP Candace Parker have been revealed as cover athletes for various editions of the upcoming “NBA 2K22.”
On Wednesday, the official Twitter account of the iconic video game shared the two covers that Doncic and Parker will grace. Doncic is featured on the standard edition and cross-gen bundle of the game, while Parker lands on the cover of the WNBA 25th Anniversary Special Edition. The WNBA legend becomes the first league player featured on the cover of an “NBA 2K” game.
Both Doncic and Parker took to social media to express gratitude for the cover athlete honor.
Doncic also issued a statement about landing on the “NBA 2K22” cover.
“Making the global cover of NBA 2K22 is special for me,” Doncic said in the statement, per SI.com. “I’m proud to represent my country in a special cover that honors the colors of the Slovenian flag. Basketball has given me so much, and I’m excited to give back and work together with 2K Foundations this year to help the lives of young kids around the globe.”
A third edition of “NBA 2K22” will celebrate the NBA’s upcoming 75th anniversary. Its cover features the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Mavericks icon Dirk Nowitzki as well as current Brooklyn Nets superstar Kevin Durant.
The NBA 75th Anniversary Edition features the artwork of Charly Palmer, who is known for his Civil Rights-inspired “America Must Change” series.
“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,” Palmer said, per Polygon. “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.”
The announcement of the cover athletes for every iteration in the “NBA 2K” series always generates a great amount of fanfare, as was the case with the 2021 and the versions that preceded it. The same can be said for the 2022 editions.
Every version of “NBA 2K22” has a scheduled release date of Oct. 10.
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