With another year comes another NBA 2K game, and with each new entry comes a fresh set of cover athletes. Gracing the cover of the long-running basketball franchise is undoubtedly a high honor for those selected; it's an indicator of their overall success, talent, or influence on the sport of basketball at its highest level. In the case of NBA 2K22, there are six total athletes who will get to share that honor.
NBA 2K22's cover athletes are each important to professional basketball in their own way. From the stars of the league today to legends of the past, as well as a long-overdue recognition of the WNBA, there's a lot of star power behind the covers of this year's entry.
Luka Doncic
This relatively new face to the NBA only just wrapped up his third season in the league but is in no short supply of career highlights. At the age of 19, Luka Doncic began his first season in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks, which ended with him netting various NBA records, high praise from media and fans alike, as well as the oft-sought after NBA Rookie of the Year Award. The following two years, Doncic would be selected to two consecutive NBA All-Star games, as well as make back-t0-back playoff appearances with the Mavericks.
Candace Parker
Candace Parker headlines the GameStop-exclusive WNBA edition of NBA 2K22, making her the first woman to ever star on the cover of the series. Following a dominating career in both high school and college basketball, Parker was picked first in the 2008 WNBA Draft by the Los Angeles Sparks, and she went on to have a commanding rookie season that started with her breaking the record for most points scored by a rookie in their first game, and ended with her earning both the WNBA's Rookie of the Year and league MVP awards. Since her rookie season, Parker has played in six WNBA All-Star games, won an additional MVP award, taken home a WNBA Championship, and was declared Finals MVP during her championship run.
The two most recent NBA 2K games took steps toward better representing the WNBA by including every team complete with up-to-date rosters, but the games were never one to flaunt the league's inclusion on store shelves. Candace Parker's presence on the upcoming NBA 2K22 cover is a big deal for the WNBA, and will hopefully lead to more eyes on the tremendously talented yet underpaid and oft-overlooked league than ever before.
Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant is among the best players in the league right now; one could even argue that he is the best. During his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Durant led OKC into the playoffs several times and became the league's MVP in 2014. Durant would later spend three seasons with the Golden State Warriors, accruing three playoff runs, two NBA Championships, and two Finals MVP Awards before departing for the Brooklyn Nets in 2019.
Other honors Durant has received include being selected as an NBA All-Star 11 times, being declared All-Star Game MVP twice, and earning the Rookie of the Year Award during his debut season.
Dirk Nowitzki
The second Dallas Mavericks player to appear on this year's covers, Dirk Nowitzki is often considered to be one of the all-time NBA greats. His 21-year career is among the longest in league history, and he's the only player to have spent more than 20 seasons with a single team. Nowitzki is a 14-time NBA All-Star, and he was also critical in securing the Mavericks' first and only NBA Championship in 2011. Additionally, he's the NBA's sixth-highest all-time scorer, acquiring over 31,000 points throughout his long career.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is one of the greatest NBA players of all time. He's a 19-time NBA All-Star, six-time MVP, six-time NBA Champion, two-time Finals MVP, and is the NBA's all-time leading scorer with over 38,000 career points. His resume speaks for itself; if there's anyone that deserves a spot on an NBA 2K cover, it's him.
Rui Hachimura
During the 2019 NBA Draft, Rui Hachimura became the first Japanese player to be drafted into the NBA when the Washington Wizards chose him with the ninth overall pick. The Japanese release of NBA 2K22 will have a Japan-exclusive cover featuring Hachimura as the star athlete. Hachimura was previously named to the NBA's All-Rookie Second Team in 2020 and also played for Japan's national under-19 basketball team in 2017.
NBA 2K22Â releases worldwide on September 10, 2021 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
