The highly anticipated NBA 2K25 is set to release on September 6th, with those that preordered the game being able to play as early as September 4th. This year, Jayson Tatum will be gracing the NBA 2K cover, an honor that only the best players have been granted.
Waiting to find out what player or players will be on the cover for not only NBA 2K but also Madden, NCAA Football, and FIFA, is almost as exciting as the game itself. With the release of NBA 2K25 coming soon, let’s take a look back at the top 5 NBA 2K covers throughout the years.
5. 2K25: Jayson Tatum
This may seem premature, but when I look at this cover, the first thing I notice are the fans in the background. This is the first 2K cover to feature fans on the cover as well as the athlete.
The decision to use this picture for the cover was a great one by the men and women over at 2K. It feels like the first authentic cover for a sports game in a while. Usually, video game covers are a copy and pasted image of the athlete with either a colorful background or plain colors. This cover captures the moment shared between Tatum and the fans as the Celtic’s would win their 18th championship, making it a top 5 cover in 2K history.
4. 2K10: Kobe Bryant
This cover is significant for multiple reasons. First, 2K10 was the 10th anniversary of the game, which was an incredible milestone for the gaming franchise.
Second, this was the first time Kobe Bryant was on the cover. He would later be on Legend Edition Covers for 2K21 and 2K24. Kobe Bryant was a pillar in the NBA for 20 years and the passing of him and his daughter Gianna still weigh heavy in NBA circles.
This cover perfectly captured who he was on the court: competitive, intense, angry, and passionate. This cover was the bridge between the simple (and dare I say boring) covers that came before, to the much more creatively designed covers that followed. Kobe “Bean” Bryant comes in at number 4.
3. 2K14: LeBron James
LeBron James comes in at number 3 with the cover of 2K14. This cover was long awaited as it was the first time James would be on the cover. He would later be placed on the 20th anniversary cover for 2K19.
At the time 2K14 came out, Lebron had been the best player in the league for almost 7 years and was also coming off of back to back championships. Everyone knew it was only a matter of time before he would be on the cover and it finally happened with 2K14.
LeBron is arguably to greatest player to every lace ’em up. The amount of records the man has that will most likely never be broken is astonishing. Fans can have the Lebron and MJ debate all they want but the fact is, no matter where you rank LeBron among the greats, he is undoubtedly an all-time great player. This cover symbolizes the greatness of Lebron that will live on for generations to come.
2. 2K13: Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant, and Derrick Rose
This is the first NBA 2K cover to feature multiple athletes, making it a historic cover.
Derrick Rose was a phenom tearing apart NBA defenses with his explosiveness and athleticism. Kevin Durant was already considered one of the best scorers in the NBA prior to being put on the cover. Durant’s height mixed with his amazing jumpsuit and ball handling skills makes it almost impossible to guard him.
While Durant and Rose were considered top 5 players in the NBA, Griffin was busy making one of the most exciting highlight reels of any athlete alive today. If you were under the rim while Blake Griffin was going up for a dunk, you were in trouble. All three athletes make this cover special, and this cover is still the only standard edition NBA 2K to have 2 or more athletes on the cover. All other covers with multiple players on it are special or legend edition covers.
1. 2K12: Michael Jordan
Anything that Michael Jordan touches turns to gold, considering he is seen as the greatest athlete of all time.
The reason 2K12 comes in at number 1 as the best cover of all time is because of how powerful the Jordan brand is. There are undoubtedly some NBA 2K fans asking themselves “why isn’t 2K11 on this list?” Yes, Jordan was also on the cover of the previous year’s 2K11, but the cover was not nearly as creative as 2K12’s.
2K12 also featured Magic Johnson and Larry Bird on the cover giving 2K12 three different covers. This cover left adults that grew up in the 90’s and children beginning to love basketball in awe. This cover represents the transcendence of Michael Jordan and the reach he has across generations.
