NBA 2K22 Cover Star: Could Bucks vs. Suns Finals Matchup Include Featured Athlete?
The NBA 2K22 cover star hasn’t officially been announced, but it would seem the new game is months away. Meanwhile, Tuesday brings the first game of the 2021 NBA Finals. With that comes a trio of star players who could land on the front of the game. They include two of the league’s younger stars and a veteran leader who is on the verge of adding a championship to his resume. Could one of these three players become the latest star athlete featured on NBA 2K?
Phoenix Suns feature two potential NBA 2K22 cover star players
By now, it’s no secret that the Phoenix Suns boast two All-Star players headed to the NBA Finals 2021 matchup. They are Chris Paul and Devin Booker, both of whom have much different career stories. For Paul, he’s the elite point guard, a near NBA MVP back in his days with the New Orleans Hornets. He’s been named to 11 All Star teams over his career and was the MVP of the game back in 2012-13.
CP3 is also a 10-time All-NBA player, nine-time All-Defensive, four-time assists champion, and six-time steals champ, among other feats. Adding an NBA Championship is the last piece of what’s been an amazing career since 2005-06. If he is the NBA 2K22 cover star, it’ll be a return for CP3. He previously appeared on the NBA 2K8 game cover with the Hornets (below).
It’s worth noting that Paul is the favorite to win NBA Finals MVP. He’s also part of the new Team USA Pantheon release in 2K22, and has a featured Agenda. Gamers must use his new Pantheon card to score 25 points and dish out 25 assists in a single game to get 2,000 XP.
CP3 joined Phoenix for this current season, boosting an emerging star lineup that already featured young scoring sensation, Devin Booker. D-Book is now just a two-time All-Star after finally gaining the recognition he deserved. He averaged 25.6 points, 4.3 assists, and 4.2 rebounds this past season. Booker has shown he’s amongst the league’s most dangerous scorers, and now has a shot at a title in his sixth year in the league.
Both these players seem like likely candidates to land on the front of the NBA 2K22 cover. It’s even possible both guys could get there, depending on what 2K decides to do. However, Booker would get his first cover if he’s the choice, and a win in the NBA Finals could help that.
Greek Freak also has potential for 2K’s cover
Giannis Antetokounmpo isn’t the easiest of player names to pronounce, but he’s made a name for himself as the league’s two-time NBA MVP. The Greek Freak, as he’s better known, has looked impressive each season he gets on the court, but has yet to capture a title. He’s been an NBA All-Star in each of his past five seasons.
For the 2020-21 season, Giannis averaged 28.1 points, 11 rebounds, and nearly six assists with a 56.9 percent field goal rate. While he suffered an injury in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Atlanta Hawks, Bucks fans are hoping he’ll be able to contribute to his team’s Finals run.
Giannis and the Milwaukee Bucks are on the verge of capturing the franchise’s first title since 1971. If they do so, they’ll end a 50-year drought and further cement Giannis as one of the league’s greats. Could he get his second time as the cover star with NBA 2K22? Giannis appeared on the front of the 2K19 game, making him the first international player to get that honor.
That said, we recently saw EA’s Madden 22 cover do something different by putting the two Super Bowl quarterbacks, Tom Brady (Buccaneers) and Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) on their upcoming game cover. Could NBA 2K22 do something similar? Perhaps a CP3 and Greek Freak dual-cover? We’re certainly excited to see who graces the game’s next cover.
As of this report, there’s no date for who will follow in the footsteps of Damian Lillard, Zion Williamson, and the late Kobe Bryant. With that in mind, it’s possible NBA 2K22 has more than one cover and various athletes gracing each edition. Stay tuned!
Former cover stars and cover reveal date
Right now, the cover stars are unknown and so is the reveal date. We previously made other NBA 2K22 cover predictions which may have included a couple of the stars above. Other potential players could include LeBron James, Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson, or Kevin Durant. 2K22 could even feature a trip of stars such as the Nets’ Harden, KD, and Irving.
The 2K21 cover star for current-gen was Damian Lillard, while Zion was given the next-generation cover for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. There was also the special Mamba Forever Edition featuring the late, great Kobe Bryant. Lillard was the first of the cover stars revealed on June 30, 2020, so we’re now beyond that point for the 2K22 cover announcement.
A previous online leak suggested that former Dallas Mavericks great and future Hall of Famer, Dirk Nowitzki, could get that special legends cover for 2K22. Could that mean Luka gets the regular cover? The rumors seem to be suggesting that possibility for the NBA 2K22 cover star. There’s no arguing when it comes to the future of the league that Luka is already becoming a major star and he’s not even near done with his career!
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