The first two cover athletes for the latest NBA 2K release were announced earlier this week. Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard will appear on the cover for games who have current generation consoles, while New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson is the face of the game for those who will purchase next generation consoles a little later this year.
But in the announcement last week about cover athletes for NBA 2K21, 2K Sports revealed that a trio of basketball players will appear on the front of the game. The final name was announced on Thursday morning, and in a bit of news that may not come as a surprise, the late Kobe Bryant will get a pair of covers for this year’s version of the game.
NBA 2K announced on its official Twitter account that there will be a “Mamba Forever” edition of this year’s release. One cover, which will be released on current generation consoles, features Bryant wearing No. 8, while the version that will appear on next generation consoles will have Bryant wearing No. 24.
Kobe Bryant will be on the cover of the Mamba Forever edition of #NBA2K21
8 for current generation consoles.
24 for next generation consoles.#MambaForever pic.twitter.com/77Qur6Xugv— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) July 2, 2020
Mamba Forever
A closer look at the covers
We love and miss you Kobe #NBA2K21 pic.twitter.com/Jf1M5kUewx
— NBA 2K21 (@NBA2K) July 2, 2020
This is hardly the first time that Bryant has appeared on the cover of a game, as he was on the cover for NBA 2K10 and the Legend Edition of NBA 2K17, the latter of which being the first release in the series following his retirement. Preorders for NBA 2K21 began on Thursday morning, with the game slated to drop on Sept. 4. As for pricing, Lillard’s cover will cost $59.99, Williamson’s cover will run you $69.99, and Bryant’s cover — which includes an upgrade for next generation consoles — is $99.99.