NBA 2K24 fans speculate cover athlete for latest edition of game: "Anyone but Kobe is blasphemous"

NBA 2K24 is the latest installment in the NBA 2K franchise, one of the most celebrated sports games for basketball fans around the world. It combines realistic graphics (as seen from the players' facial animations) with accurate NBA-like gameplay, from drawing-up plays to drawing-up trades.

With the upcoming NBA 2K24 comes the anticipation for the player who gets to be on the cover of the game. There have been a number of iconic ones from Michael Jordan on the cover of NBA 2K11 to LeBron James on the cover of NBA 2K19's Legend Edition.

The reveal of the NBA 2K24 cover athlete will most likely be announced sometime in July based on the previous announcements. NBA 2K did the same thing for NBA 2K22 (July 14) and NBA 2K23 (July 7). However, there are already a number of NBA 2K fans who have voiced out their preferences regarding who should be the cover athlete for the upcoming game.

With an obvious preference for Kobe Bryant to be the cover athlete for NBA 2K24, it makes sense as it has the #24 on the NBA 2K title. Bryant's first jersey number was #8 when he played alongside Shaquille O'Neal in the LA Lakers. However, the jersey number he played the longest with was #24.

The late Bryant played 20 seasons in the NBA and is recognized as one of the greatest shooting guards of all time. He also had a career average of 25.0 points per game (44.7% shooting, including 32.9% from 3-point range) and 5.2 rebounds.

Nikola Jokic was also mentioned by some fans, as the Denver Nuggets center is fresh off his first championship after defeating the Miami Heat in the 2023 finals. During the finals, Jokic averaged 30.2 ppg (58.3% shooting, including 42.1% from 3-point range), 14.0 rpg and 7.2 apg.

Another player that was included in the mix was Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry. Curry was still able to win his fourth ring during the 2022 finals against the Boston Celtics.

He also dropped 50 points (20-of-38 shooting, including 7-of-18 from 3-point range), eight rebounds and six assists in a 120-100 first-round Game 7 win against the Sacramento Kings in 2023.

NBA 2K24: Release date and available platforms

The NBA 2K games are usually released during the month of September as it is a month away from the start of a new NBA regular season.

The previous NBA 2K23 was released on Sept. 9, 2022, with available platforms: PlayStation 4 and 5, XBOX One and Series S and X, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Apple Arcade and Android.

With no final word or announcement from NBA 2K, fans can expect that the upcoming game will be available on all the previously mentioned platforms.