Every NBA player dreams of one day being on the cover of the NBA2K video game.
It’s one of the few moments where a player realizes what they’ve accomplished.
Recently, we have seen some of the league’s young stars like Jayson Tatum, Luka Doncic and Devin Booker be on the cover.
With the current season winding down, we now look forward to who could be a candidate to be the next cover athlete for NBA2K26.
Who are some of the candidates?
Let’s take a look.
Tyrese Haliburton
This should be a given considering he’s at the top of his game and in the NBA Finals.
He’s only 25 years old and has become a fan favorite.
Haliburton recently was told that he would be featured in a 2K video game, as he’ll be in the upcoming WWE2K video game releasing later this year.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
SGA just won his first MVP in the 2024-25 season, which automatically makes him a candidate.
He’s also in the NBA Finals, which helps his case.
Shai averaged a league-leading 32.7 PPG in the 2024-25 season, along with 1.7 SPG as a premier defender at the guard position in the NBA.
Anthony Edwards
Edwards had a disappointing end to the season in the WCF but is still viewed as one of the up-and-coming faces of the NBA.
He’s a huge competitor and would be thrilled to be a cover athlete for one of the biggest sports video games.
Even though Edwards didn’t advance as far as Haliburton and SGA, he feels like a stronger candidate to be the next 2K cover athlete.
Jalen Brunson
Brunson has continued his ascension as one of the better guards in the NBA since joining the Knicks.
He plays in a huge market, New York, which is a team with an international audience.
It would be smart to put a player like Brunson on the cover for how likeable of a player he is to certain groups.
Brunson just made his first appearance in the ECF, making a huge name for himself over the past couple of postseason runs.
Victor Wembanyama
It’s pretty hard to find someone who isn’t a Wemby fan.
He’s another very likable player and a character off the court.
It might be a little bit early to feature him on the cover, but with how well-known he is, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him on the cover just a couple of years into his career.
Honorable Mention: Nikola Jokic
Jokic seems like a given to make the cover eventually, but I’m not sure he’s the type of person to want that.
The Joker is very to himself and likely doesn’t care about a feat like this.
With him being one of the best players in the NBA over the past few years, it’s only right to mention him as a contender, despite it being unlikely to happen.
