"Why isn't Joker on the cover?" - Rashad McCants wonders why Shai made the 2K cover while Jokic never did originally appeared on Basketball Network.

The NBA 2K series has been around for over two decades. Yes, the basketball sim is old enough to order a drink in every state. They grow up so fast.

Acclaimed video game NBA 2K just unveiled their cover athlete for 2K26. It's none other than MVP winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

But, as the dust settled on NBA 2K26 ’s grand reveal of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as this year’s coveted cover star, Zak Armitage, NBA 2K’s SVP and GM, was able to share some trade secrets about the cover athlete selection process — one which he describes as more of “a partnership.”

Starting in the 1999-00 season, NBA 2K became a staple of basketball gaming, eventually becoming the most popular game for NBA aficionados. An important aspect of NBA 2K and something that’s …

Acclaimed video game NBA 2K just unveiled their cover athlete for 2K26. It's none other than MVP winner Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

The NBA 2K series has been around for over two decades. Yes, the basketball sim is old enough to order a drink in every state. They grow up so fast.

Kobe Bryant aka Black Mamba leads the way so far with six different covers (2K10, 2K17, and two editions for 2K21 and 2K24), followed by Iverson (2K, 2K1, 2K2, 2K3 and 2K4) and Michael Jordan ...

Check out all the NBA 2K covers in the videogame's history.