NBA 2K23: The G.O.A.T Michael Jordan Will Be The Cover Athlete
NBA 2K is the most popular basketball video game on the market, and its reach even extends into popular culture. There are two aspects of the game that fans and the media pay attention to every year: the ratings of NBA players and who will be the NBA 2K cover athlete. People can put the debates to bed as Michael Jordan was named the NBA 2K23 cover athlete.
The first NBA 2K game was released in 1999, and it featured the phenomenal Allen Iverson. The cover usually goes to one of the top players in the league of that year, but there have been covers where the spot is given to an NBA legend — like this one. Also, there are special editions of the cover that have a wider variety of cover athletes, these include anniversary editions or editions specific to a certain country.
This will be Michael Jordan’s third appearance as the main cover athlete, as he was the lone athlete on 2K11, and he was with Magic Johnson and Larry Bird for the 2K12 cover. This decision makes sense, as 23 is synonymous with the legend of Michael Jordan. 2K will be releasing the main version of the game, which will feature Michael Jordan on the cover, and a special edition that will be called the championship edition.
2K made a great choice for the cover of 2k23 –- now it will be interesting to see how everyone reacts to their NBA 2K player ratings.
Top 3 NBA 2K Covers
I will only be picking standard game covers, meaning there will be no special edition covers, specifically the fantastic Mamba Forever NBA 2K21 cover. There have been 23 main games NBA 2K covers. In no particular order, here are some of the best ones.
NBA 2K3 is the best Allen Iverson cover. Iverson deserves to be in the top three. He was the cover for the first four years of the game. 2K3 has a great picture of him with the Sixers logo present, his number present, and plenty of breathing room on the cover. It is a perfect example of simple but effective in one of their first-ever covers.
NBA 2K13 featured three super popular athletes on the same cover. Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin, and Derrick Rose were all mid-dunk, but in their respective styles. These were three of the most exciting players in the league at that time, and it was fun to see three stars share the same cover.
NBA 2K14 is one of the best 2K covers of all time, featuring Miami Heat LeBron James. James was arguably at his peak at this time, and he was playing some of the best basketball ever. The cover features him doing his iconic pre-game powder toss in front, with a picture of his face in the background. The picture is a little busy, but super clear at the same time. It is truly an all-time NBA 2K cover.
