Global phenomenon and two-time NBA All-Star and Dallas Mavericks standout Luka Dončić will be featured on the cover of NBA 2K22 - the next installment of the top-selling NBA video game series.
An NBA 75th Anniversary Edition is set to be released simultaneously and will feature NBA legends Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Chicago Sky star Candace Parker will also grace the cover of the NBA 2K22 GameStop Exclusive edition.
"Making the global cover of NBA 2K22 is special for me. I’m proud to represent my country in a special cover that honors the colors of the Slovenian flag," Dončić said in a statement. "Basketball has given me so much, and I’m excited to give back and work together with 2K Foundations this year to help the lives of young kids around the globe."
2K's announcement is also especially significant for Parker -- a six-time WNBA All-Star -- who will become the first woman to ever appear on the game's cover.
"Extremely proud and humbled to be the first female cover athlete in the history of @NBA2K. I’m honored to work with a company that’s investing in women and betting on us to succeed," Parker said in a July 14 Tweet.
Dončić and Nowitzki are the first Mavericks to grace the cover of the game, while Durant has been featured on it on two other occasions during the game's storied 20-year history, first on 2K13 and then again on 2k15.
Durant, a league MVP and two-time NBA Champion, took to social media to express gratitude soon after it was revealed that he would be featured alongside two other basketball icons on the special 75th Anniversary Edition.
"Honored to share @NBA2K's 75th anniversary cover with the greats," Durant Tweeted on July 14.
The artwork on the NBA 7th Anniversary Edition and Cross-Gen Digital Bundle is painted by Charly Palmer, an Atlanta-based artist known for his recent "Civil Rights" series of paintings. Palmer's work has been exhibited throughout the nation and was famously featured on the cover of TIME Magazine on July 6, 2020.
All editions of NBA 2k22 will be released on September 10 and are currently on sale for pre-order.
NBA 2k22 is rated E for Everyone by the ESRB. Additional information about the game and its cover art is available at https://nba.2k.com/.