NBA stars of past and present will feature as Cover Athletes on the upcoming NBA 2K22.
Luka Doncic, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durrant will all feature on editions of the basketball game, with cover artwork painted by Charly Palmer – an Atlanta-based artist known for his 'Civil Rights' series of paintings 'America Must Change' which feature on TIME Magazine's cover in July last year.
Doncic, a two-time NBA All-Star, graces the cover of the Standard Edition and Cross-Gen Digital Bundle while Abdul-Jabbar, Nowitzki and Durrant feature on the NBA 75th Anniversary Edition – with each athlete defining the first 75 years of the competition in their own way.
A third version of the cover marks the 25th Anniversary Special Edition of the WNBA with Chicago Sky player Candace Parker becoming the first woman cover athlete in the history of the series.
Parker said in a statement: "Representation matters, so this is a special moment of progress for the sport and the series.
"To be part of this historic cover is a testament to the growth and rising popularity of the women’s game, and I’m proud to be the first female cover athlete to be the face of NBA 2K."
Alfie Brody, vice president of global marketing strategy for NBA 2K, said: "The culture around the game of basketball is vibrant and transcends geographical boundaries.
"This year, we want to showcase that global diversity via Charly’s amazing, one-of-a-kind art."
NBA 2K22 will be released on September 10.
