The cover athlete for NBA2K26 has been announced, and NBA fans won't likely be surprised who it is.
ESPN's Shams Charania broke the news that 2024-25 NBA champion and league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been announced as the cover athlete for the new edition of the NBA2K video game.
2K later confirmed the report and shared a first look at the cover.
The generational run continues ⚡️
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) July 8, 2025
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is your #NBA2K26 Standard Edition Cover Athlete!
Pre-order NBA 2K26 starting tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/1pQTtWOUh2
This is the second consecutive year that an NBA champion has been featured as the cover athlete the season after winning a title. Celtics star Jayson Tatum was the cover athlete of NBA 2K25.
It has been a busy past few months for the Thunder star, who just added another incredible feat to his resume. Gilgeous-Alexander led Oklahoma City to the first title in franchise history with averages of 29.9 points, 6.5 assists and 5.3 rebounds per game in the postseason.
It's a well-deserved award that few can argue with after the historic season he just put together.
SGA's cover selection adds to the list of recent awards and accomplishments that include a title, NBA MVP, NBA Finals MVP, a supermax extension and a signature show deal.
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