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NBA 2K19 is the 20th edition in the NBA 2K franchise. It was announced on June 5, 2018, and released on September 11, 2018, for various platforms.
NBA 2K19 has received great reviews from for its gameplay, with some even calling it the best instalment of the 2K series. Giannis Antetokounmpo, the up and coming superstar of the NBA was chosen as the cover athlete for the standard edition of this game.
The 2018 Rookie of the Year, Ben Simmons was chosen as the cover athlete in Australia and New Zealand. The game was also nominated for the Best Sports Game at the Game Awards in 2018.
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With so many great players currently playing in the NBA, the NBA 2K19 edition features a lot of highly skilled and rated players.
Let's have a look at the top 5 highest rated players in NBA 2K19:
Honourable mentions: Russell Westbrook (93), Kyrie Irving (93), Kawhi Leonard (94), Anthony Davis (94).
#5 Giannis Antetokounmpo - (Overall rating - 94)
The Greek Freak was selected as the cover athlete for the 2K19 edition of the NBA 2K franchise.
He had a stellar 2017-18 NBA season and led the Milwaukee Bucks to a playoff berth. Giannis averaged 26.9 points, 10 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks per game during the 2017-18 season and was one of the most dominating players in the NBA.
Giannis is still very young and with the Bucks having the best record in the 2018-19 season till now, we can expect his ratings to go up even more in the next edition of this game. He has played a great role in the massive growth of the Bucks.
Giannis Antetokounmpo is set to rule the NBA 2K ratings for years to come.
#4 Stephen Curry - (Overall Rating - 95)
Stephen Curry has been the curator of this Warriors' dynasty. He is the heart of this team who have won 3 out of the last 4 championships. They are in a prime position to win the 2019 NBA championship also.
Steph had a great 2017-18 season. He has yet to repeat the form of his 2015-16 unanimous MVP season but he has still played at a very elite level. He averaged 26.4 points, 6.1 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game during the season and finished as the runner-up in the finals MVP voting.
Steph is having an even better year this time around. He is averaging 28.5 points per game and is shooting a stellar 45% from the 3PT line. He is playing at his prime right now and if he could add a finals MVP accolade this year, he is set to see a rating increase in the 2K20 edition of the series.
#3 James Harden - (Overall Rating - 96)
The reigning NBA MVP is the third highest-rated star in NBA 2K19. He led the Rockets to the best record in the NBA last season and fell just one game shy of winning the Conference finals.
Harden absolutely dominated in the 2017-18 season. He averaged 30.4 points, 8.8 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game, 44.9% from the field and 36.7% from three-point range during the course of the entire season.
He combined greatly with Chris Paul and Clint Capela to win 65 games in the regular season for the Houston Rockets.
Harden has mastered the art of drawing fouls and hitting the step back threes. He is having a historic 2018-19 season averaging 36.6 points per game and is the runaway leader for the NBA MVP award. Harden looks set to hold onto his place in the next edition of this series also.
#2 Kevin Durant - (Overall rating - 97)
The two-time Finals MVP winner is the second highest rated athlete in NBA 2K19. Kevin Durant has been magnificent since his signing with the Warriors.
Durant has thrived playing alongside Stephen Curry. He has made full utilization of the extra spaces that he gets because of the presence of all the great players around him.
Durant averaged 26.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.8 blocks per game last season. He also shot a stellar 51.6% from the field and per cent from beyond the arc during the course of the season.
Durant won 2019 All-Star game MVP award. A player as skilled as him will always have very high ratings. He is simply unstoppable on the offensive end and can shoot jumpers over anyone in the league. He has also improved on the defensive end in recent years.
#1 LeBron James - (Overall rating - 98)
King James is the highest rated player in NBA 2K19 with an overall rating of 98. He was selected as the cover athlete for the 20th-anniversary edition of the video game.
James has been the highest rated athlete for a number of years now. There is no player in NBA history who has a more versatile and well-rounded game than LeBron James. He can stuff up the stat sheet like no other. James enjoyed a great 2017-18 season. He single-handedly led the Cavs' to the NBA finals producing countless superb performances.
James joined the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2018 free agency. The American suffered the longest injury break of his career when he missed 18 games this season.
The Lakers and James are under immense pressure from now on to even make the playoffs. It will be interesting to see if James can hold onto the number 1 spot next year, especially if Lakers fail to make the playoffs.
