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NBA 2K series is the most popular basketball video game in the world (in a two-horse race with EA Sports' NBA Live), so naturally being a cover athlete on the game's new edition is a matter of huge pride for any athlete. But fans of NBA have noticed that appearing on the cover of an NBA 2K game has become a double edged sword, especially for fans of the teams that the said star belongs to. As the years keep passing by the pattern has continued, where the cover stars have either been traded in the same season as being announced the cover athlete or have subsequently left via Free Agency within the year. Let us take a look at the five players who have been a part of this "curse".
#1 LeBron James
The curse began with arguably one of the greatest NBA players of all time, LeBron James appearing on the cover of NBA 2K14. With 4 consecutive trips to the NBA finals and 2 Championships to show for it, LeBron James was the automatic pick for the cover of NBA 2K14. But soon after the 4th season LeBron decided to jump ship from the aging Miami Heat to head back home and join a young star in Kyrie Irving and form a new big 3 with Kevin Love coming in through a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves. It was the first sign of the NBA 2K curse and it hasn't relented ever since.
#2 Kevin Durant
NBA 2K15 saw Kevin Durant, one of the most prolific scorers on all three levels that the game has ever seen, become the next face of the game. What followed in the following off-season is widely seen as the most polarizing decision the NBA has ever seen as Durant, after losing to the Warriors, despite being up 3-1 at one point in the Western Conference finals, joined the Golden State Warriors in the off season. The same Warriors that had broken the Chicago Bulls' record of most wins in a regular season by going 73-9 in that very season, leading to the solidification of one of the greatest dynasties ever seen in the NBA.
#3 Paul George
Paul George was selected to be the cover athlete for NBA 2K17 and he was visibly ecstatic about joining an elite list of players who have appeared on the cover of the game. But soon it became clear that his team Indiana Pacers would no longer be in contention for the Eastern Conference title and the NBA Title, which led to PG13 refusing to commit to the Pacers beyond his then existing deal. He wished to be traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in 2017. However, the Lakers, believing themselves to be strong favorites to sign George in the 2018 Free Agency without giving up assets, decided not to make a serious offer for George. Seeing an opportunity, Oklahoma City Thunder jumped in attempting to create their own Big Three with Westbrook, PG and Carmelo. And the curse was revived after taking a one year break in 2K16 when three athletes appeared on different editions of the game. (James Harden, Steph Curry & Anthony Davis)
#4 Kyrie Irving
Selecting Kyrie Irving for the NBA 2k18 cover actually caused 2K a lot of hassle as he was traded from Cleveland Cavaliers to Boston Celtics while the game was yet to be released. 2K had to pull the initial cover and switch the image to reflect Kyrie in a Celtic jersey. This move solidified the theory of the NBA 2K curse and sent NBA fans all over the world into a frenzy on social media.
#5 DeMar DeRozan
NBA 2K18 has doubled the curse value with DeMar DeRozan, viewed by many as a certainty to be a long term Raptor, given his max deal through 2020-21 season. But alas, the curse has struck again and last week saw a major shock. Kawhi Leonard refused to suit up for Spurs which resulted in a landscape altering deal that saw Raptors trade DeRozan as the focal point of the deal to land Leonard. Although, the word around is that Kawhi might just prove to be a one season rental for the Raptors.
#6 Giannis Antetokounmpo?
NBA 2K19 will see Giannis Antetokounmpo as the cover athlete and the fans of Milwaukee Bucks will sure be hoping that their franchisee cornerstone won't be heading away anywhere. But Cavaliers fans, who already had a taste of the curse through the Kyrie Irving trade have now seen the favorite son of Akron, LeBron James, who will be the face of the Gold Edition of the NBA 2K19 (20th anniversary edition), change his stripes to the famous purple and gold of the Hollywood Lakers and through him the curse lives on. Bucks fans have been praying that the curse that started with LeBron ends with him and they don't lose arguably the best player their franchisee has seen since the legendary Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Guess the Lakers players!
