After the tragic death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others this past weekend, the world continues to mourn the losses. Video game fans who have played the NBA 2K series have become accustomed to playing as Kobe in the game and have been paying tribute in 2K20. Now, many fans are asking that 2K honor the late basketball star by having him as the NBA 2K21 cover athlete.
Fans asking for Kobe Bryant on NBA 2K21 cover
Since the passing of Kobe Bryant, many NBA 2K20 tributes have taken place in the game. While the NBA 2K21 cover reveal is still months away, many fans are asking for the late basketball superstar to appear on front of the game as a tribute. A number of fans are already posting different concepts online of what the cover art should look like, as shown below.
Some of the concepts that fans are showing include Kobe along with his daughter Gianna who also passed away with Kobe and seven others in a tragic helicopter crash on Sunday, January 26. Here is one cover design that shows the father-daughter combo standing back-to-back and both wearing their own Lakers jerseys.
In addition to the variety of NBA 2K21 cover concepts, YouTuber ShakeDown2012 posted a new video about how the NBA and 2K game can honor Kobe Bryant. The video includes his thoughts on whether the league should make Kobe the new NBA logo, and also an idea for one of the 2K21 game’s playable challenges.
Kobe Bryant’s 2K cover history
With Bryant part of the league since the 1996 season, he became a regular within the NBA 2K basketball game series. For the NBA 2K10 edition, he graced the game’s cover for the first time as the title’s featured star. For that particular cover, fans voted on which Kobe image would go on the front.
2K also produced a limited edition version of the game called the NBA 2K10: Anniversary Edition. That included a Kobe Bryant figurine from McFarlane Toys among its bonus items.
Ronnie “2K” Singh posted the game’s cover as part of his recent tribute to the star on Instagram.
Seven years later, Kobe was on another 2K cover. This time he was featured on the NBA 2K17 Legends edition since he had just retired from the game. Gamers who purchased that version received special Kobe bonus content with the game. That included trading cards, a limited-edition poster, and a Black Mamba game controller skin as well as in-game content.
He’s been a part of the NBA 2K titles since then, appearing as a playable superstar for all-time teams or in the popular MyTeam mode. In NBA 2K20, a Kobe Bryant tribute banner appears as soon as the game launches.
Time will tell if NBA 2K decides to listen to the community by honoring Kobe with the NBA 2K21 cover, or goes with another star to represent the next game. One thing is certain, though, and that is the memory of Kobe’s greatness is continuing to be carried on by people everywhere.
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