Kobe Bryant is going to be on the NBA 2K21 cover

2K Sports had already revealed Damian Lillard and Zion Williamson as two of its cover stars for NBA 2K21, but thanks to Anthony Davis, we knew there would be a third. And this morning, we can reveal that the mystery cover athlete is exactly the guy many of you guessed would get the nod: Kobe Bryant. The late Lakers star will even get his own version of the game this year, the Mamba Forever Edition.

One of the covers for that edition of the game (featuring No. 8 Kobe) can be seen above, and the alternate one of him walking off the floor after scoring 60 points in his final NBA game (as No. 24) can be seen below.

Image courtesy of NBA 2K

2K also put together an amazing trailer, featuring the painting process for both covers:

This was something many of you probably expected would happen, but still another awesome honor for one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

2K provided more details on all the editions of the game in its initial press release.

This year, NBA 2K21 will offer two editions of the game on digital and physical formats - standard and a special Mamba Forever Edition. NBA 2K21 will be available for $59.99** on current-generation platforms; the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X version of NBA 2K21 will be available for $69.99.** NBA 2K21 Mamba Forever Edition will be available for $99.99 for both current and next-generation platforms.** It includes dual-access where purchasing Mamba Forever Edition on either current or next-generation platforms provides a copy of the standard edition game on the other generation at no additional cost, within the same console generation. A full breakdown of pre-order details is available at https://nba.2k.com/.

For NBA 2K21, Legend Edition is replaced by the Mamba Forever Edition, celebrating Kobe Bryant’s lifelong pursuit of victory and legacy in the sport of basketball. For many fans, Kobe’s achievements on the court and love for the game had tremendous impact around the world and his list of awards and accolades is intensive: five-time NBA champion, 18-time NBA All-Star, two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, 2008 NBA MVP, 11-time All-NBA First Team, 9-time NBA All-Defensive First Team, two-time NBA Scoring Champion, 2008 and 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist, the all-time leading scorer for the Los Angeles Lakers and much more. Kobe was the cover athlete for NBA 2K10, the Legend Edition of NBA 2K17 and is immortalized in the NBA 2K21 Mamba Forever Edition with unique custom covers for both current generation and next-generation versions of the game that honor the span of his career, from his days wearing No. 8 and scoring 81 points to scoring 60 points wearing No. 24 the night of his final NBA game.

NBA 2K21 will drop on all current-generation systems on Sept. 4, 2020, and debut as a launch title for Xbox Series X and Playstation 5 at some point next holiday season.

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