With the release of new screenshots and videos for NBA Live 18, it was only a matter of time before rival 2K would share new deets on NBA 2K18. This week saw the announcement of the basketball game’s new cover athlete.
Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers was announced as the NBA 2K18 cover athlete. A four-time All-Star, Irving is currently playing in his second consecutive NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Last season saw Irving win his first NBA championship. Before that, Irving was the NBA Rookie of the Year in 2012 and won a gold medal for the U.S. in the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
“It is well known that I’m an avid player of this series and I am honored to be the cover athlete of NBA 2K18,” said Kyrie Irving, who has his sights set on another ring and is making a run for back-to-back championships. “It’s surreal to be featured on the cover and I can’t wait to dominate on the virtual court with all of my fans this fall.”
Just last month, 2K announced a Shaquille O’Neal Legend Edition of NBA 2K18. Shaq will appear on the cover of the game’s Legend Edition and fans who pre-order it will receive the all-important Virtual Currency (100,000) and other in-game and physical items. Those who pre-order the Gold Legend Edition will receive 250,000 VC and more goodies including a Shaq poster and trading cards.
For players that pre-order the standard edition of NBA 2K18 with Irving on the cover, the following specials are available as well:
- 5,000 Virtual Currency
- 10 Weekly MyTEAM Packs
- Kyrie Outfit Pack
- And more!
“It’s obvious that Kyrie isn’t disappearing from the spotlight anytime soon, so we’re thrilled to have him as our cover athlete, alongside Shaq for the NBA 2K18 Legend Edition,” said Alfie Brody, Vice President of Marketing for NBA 2K. “He’s a more-than-worthy recipient of this honor, and joins so many other greats who were cover athletes before him.”
The standard edition of NBA 2K18 will be released for the PlayStation 4 PlayStation 3, Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch and PC. The Legend Edition will be released for just the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch.
With E3 and EA Play happening over the next two weeks, it is no surprise that both 2K and EA Sports wants people to start talking about their basketball titles. Could this be the beginning of a new NBA video game rivalry? Let us know what you think in our comment section.
