Difference between revisions of "NBA Live Covers"

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Beginning with Shaquille O'Neal in [[NBA Live 96]], [[EA Sports]] have chosen a lone player to grace the '''cover''' of [[NBA Live]], with the exeption of the French cover for [[NBA Live 07]] that featured both Boris Diaw and Tony Parker as well as the Mobile cover for NBA Live 06 that didn't feature any player). Whereas the cover of EA Sports' ''Madden'' series is jokingly referred to as being "cursed" due to unfortunate injuries that have been suffered by NFL players who have graced it, NBA Live's cover players have generally avoided such misfortune. In 2006, Dwyane Wade became the first player to win the NBA Championship in the same year he appeared on the cover of NBA Live. The 2006 NBA Champion Miami Heat featured three former cover players in Wade ([[NBA Live 06]]), Shaquille O'Neal ([[NBA Live 96]]) and Antoine Walker ([[NBA Live 99]]).
+
The very first '''[[NBA Live]] cover''' featured a shot from the 1994 NBA Finals, with Robert Horry and John Starks in the foreground. Beginning with Shaquille O'Neal in [[NBA Live 96]], [[EA Sports]] have chosen a lone player to grace the cover of [[NBA Live]], with the exeption of the French cover for [[NBA Live 07]] that featured both Boris Diaw and Tony Parker as well as the Mobile cover for NBA Live 06 that didn't feature any player). Whereas the cover of EA Sports' ''Madden'' series is jokingly referred to as being "cursed" due to unfortunate injuries that have been suffered by NFL players who have graced it, NBA Live's cover players have generally avoided such misfortune.
  
EA Sports have continued the approach of featuring a single player on their [[NBA Elite Covers | covers for the newly branded NBA Elite series]].
+
In 2006, Dwyane Wade became the first player to win the NBA Championship in the same year he appeared on the cover of NBA Live. The 2006 NBA Champion Miami Heat featured three former cover players in Wade ([[NBA Live 06]]), Shaquille O'Neal ([[NBA Live 96]]) and Antoine Walker ([[NBA Live 99]]).
  
==NBA Live 10==
+
Kevin Durant was set to be featured on the cover of the re-branded [[NBA Elite 11]], a game that was ultimately cancelled. Durant would later be recognised along with other former cover players as part of the unlockable "Cover Players" team in EA Sports' [[NBA Jam: On Fire Edition]].
Dwight Howard was revealed as the cover player for [[NBA Live 10]] on June 11th, 2009. At the time, Howard and the Orlando Magic were competing against Kobe Bryant (who had recently been revealed as the cover player for rival NBA 2K10) and the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2009 NBA Finals.
 
  
<gallery>
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== Main Covers ==
Image:10cover.jpg|English Cover
 
</gallery>
 
  
==NBA Live 09==
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{|class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 90%; border:1px solid gray; border-collapse: collapse; text-align: left; width: 75%;"
Tony Parker was revealed as the main cover player for [[NBA Live 09]] on June 25th, 2008. The announcement came as a surprise to many fans who had predicted that Paul Pierce or Chauncey Billups would appear on the cover.
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|-
 +
|'''Game'''
 +
|'''Player'''
 +
|'''Notes'''
  
<gallery>
+
|-
Image:09cover.jpg|English Cover
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|[[NBA Live 95]]
</gallery>
+
|Robert Horry/John Starks
 +
|Shot from the 1994 NBA Finals, with Horry and Starks featured most prominently.
  
==NBA Live 08==
+
|-
Gilbert Arenas himself announced himself as the cover athlete for [[NBA Live 08]] during a news conference on the 29th of April, 2007.
+
|[[NBA Live 96]]
 +
|Shaquille O'Neal
 +
|An alternate cover featuring a shot from the 1995 NBA Finals - in which Shaquille O'Neal appeared with the Orlando Magic - was primarily used for the console versions.
  
<gallery>
+
|-
Image:08cover.jpg|English Cover
+
|[[NBA Live 97]]
</gallery>
+
|Mitch Richmond
 +
|
  
==NBA Live 07==
+
|-
 +
|[[NBA Live 98]]
 +
|Tim Hardaway
 +
|
  
On June 21st, 2006 it was revealed that the [[NBA Live 07]] cover would feature Houston Rockets forward Tracy McGrady. This came as a surprise to many as he had come off an injury-riddled season. With NBA Live 07, EA Sports continued the trend of international covers. Dirk Nowitzki was once again the face of the German version, as was Pau Gasol for the Spanish one. Tony Parker wasn't alone on the French cover though as he shared it with Boris Diaw.
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|-
 +
|[[NBA Live 99]]
 +
|Antoine Walker
 +
|
  
<gallery>
+
|-
Image:07cover.jpg | English Cover
+
|[[NBA Live 2000]]
Image:07covergermany.jpg | German Cover
+
|Tim Duncan
Image:07coverspain.jpg | Spanish Cover
+
|Michael Jordan was featured in a sidebar, promoting his first official appearance as a [[Legend]].
Image:07coverfrance.jpg | French Cover
 
</gallery>
 
  
==NBA Live 06==
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|-
EA Sports announced on the 10th of May 2005 that Dwyane Wade had been selected to be the cover athlete for NBA Live 06. Coincidentally, his teammate Shaquille O'Neal was the same year featured on [[NBA 2K | NBA 2K6]]. Tony Parker was selected as the cover player for the French version and Pau Gasol appeared on the Spanish cover. Yuta Tabuse appeared on the cover in Japan, a surprising move as Tabuse was not under NBA contract at the time.
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|[[NBA Live 2001]]
 +
|Kevin Garnett
 +
|
  
<gallery>
+
|-
Image:06cover.jpg | English Cover
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|[[NBA Live 2002]]
Image:06coverjapan.jpg | Japanese Cover
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|Steve Francis
Image:06coverspain.jpg | Spanish Cover
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|Michael Jordan appeared on the Japanese version, released in 2002.
Image:06coverfrance.jpg | French Cover
 
Image:06covermobile.jpg | Mobile Cover
 
</gallery>
 
  
==NBA Live 2005==
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|-
 +
|[[NBA Live 2003]]
 +
|Jason Kidd
 +
|First player to appear in the NBA Finals the same year as appearing on the NBA Live cover. The New Jersey Nets lost to the San Antonio Spurs in six games.
  
NBA Live 2005 featured Carmelo Anthony on the cover. Tony Parker graced the cover of the French version and Pau Gasol appeared on the Spanish cover.
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|-
 +
|[[NBA Live 2004]]
 +
|Vince Carter
 +
|
  
<gallery>
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|-
Image:2005cover.jpg | English Cover
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|[[NBA Live 2005]]
Image:2005coverspain.jpg | Spanish Cover
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|Carmelo Anthony
Image:2005coverfrance.jpg | French Cover
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|Previously appeared on the cover of [[NCAA March Madness 2004]].
</gallery>
 
  
==NBA Live 2004==
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|-
 +
|[[NBA Live 06]]
 +
|Dwyane Wade
 +
|First player to win the championship the same year as appearing on the NBA Live cover. Different covers were used for the prior gen and new gen versions of the game.
  
[[NBA Live 2004]] was the first game in the [[NBA Live series]] to feature a seperate cover made for another country as Raul Lopez (then of the Utah Jazz) appeared on the Spanish cover. Vince Carter was featured on the cover for all other versions. In a 2007 poll in the NLSC Forum, the NBA Live 2004 cover was named as a favourite among fans, tied with NBA Live 2001's cover (Kevin Garnett).
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|-
 +
|[[NBA Live 07]]
 +
|Tracy McGrady
 +
|
  
<gallery>
+
|-
Image:2004cover.jpg | English Cover
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|[[NBA Live 08]]
Image:2004coverspain.jpg | Spanish Cover
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|Gilbert Arenas
</gallery>
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|
  
==NBA Live 2003==
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|-
NBA Live 2003 featured New Jersey Nets point guard Jason Kidd on the cover.
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|[[NBA Live 09]]
 +
|Tony Parker
 +
|
  
<gallery>
+
|-
Image:2003cover.jpg | English Cover
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|[[NBA Live 10]]
</gallery>
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|Dwight Howard
 +
|The Orlando Magic had appeared in the 2009 NBA Finals, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.
  
==NBA Live 2002==
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|-
The only NBA Live game not released on PC featured Steve Francis on the cover.
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|[[NBA Elite 11]]
 +
|Kevin Durant
 +
|Game cancelled.
  
<gallery>
+
|-
Image:2002cover.jpg | English Cover
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|[[NBA Live 13]]
</gallery>
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|LeBron James
 +
|Never officially announced due to the game's cancellation. Confirmed by former Executive Producer Sean O'Brien.
  
==NBA Live 2001==
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|-
The sequel to perhaps the greatest NBA Live featured Kevin Garnett. In a 2007 poll in the NLSC Forum, the NBA Live 2001 cover was named as a favourite among fans, tied with NBA Live 2004's cover (Vince Carter).
+
|[[NBA Live 14]]
 +
|Kyrie Irving
 +
|
  
<gallery>
+
|-
Image:2001cover.jpg | English Cover
+
|[[NBA Live 15]]
</gallery>
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|Damian Lillard
 +
|
  
==NBA Live 2000==
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|-
Reigning Finals MVP Tim Duncan was chosen to grace the cover of NBA Live 2000. Michael Jordan's first official appearance in NBA Live as a member of the legends roster was promoted in a sidebar that proclaimed "Jordan is Back!"
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|[[NBA Live 16]]
 +
|Russell Westbrook
 +
|Westbrook is also the "cover" player for [[NBA Live Mobile]].
  
<gallery>
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|-
Image:2000cover.jpg | English Cover
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|[[NBA Live 18]]
</gallery>
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|James Harden
 +
|Harden was previously one of the cover players for [[NBA 2K16]].
  
==NBA Live 99==
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|-
The Celtics' Antoine Walker was not a popular choice when he graced the NBA Live 99 cover but the game itself was generally well-received. In a 2007 poll in the NLSC Forum, NBA Live 99's cover was chosen as the least favourite amongst NBA Live fans.
+
|[[NBA Live 19]]
 +
|Joel Embiid
 +
|
  
<gallery>
+
|}
Image:99cover.jpg | English Cover
 
</gallery>
 
  
==NBA Live 98==
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== International Covers ==
Tim Hardaway in his "killer crossover" days was featured on the first NBA Live that allowed a proper crossover move.
 
  
<gallery>
+
The first game in the series with a regional cover was the Lithuanian release of NBA Live 2001, which featured Arvydas Sabonis. The Japanese version of NBA Live 2002 featured Michael Jordan on the cover wearing his Washington Wizards uniform, though this was not widely known or promoted outside of the country. From NBA Live 2004 to NBA Live 10, EA Sports featured alternate covers for several international releases in certain regions including Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Japan and the United Kingdom.
Image:98cover.jpg | English Cover
 
</gallery>
 
  
==NBA Live 97==
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{|class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 90%; border:1px solid gray; border-collapse: collapse; text-align: left; width: 75%;"
Prolific scorer Mitch Richmond was featured on the cover of NBA Live 97
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|-
 +
|'''Game'''
 +
|'''Player & Region'''
  
<gallery>
+
|-
Image:97cover.jpg | Main Cover
+
|[[NBA Live 2001]]
Image:97coversaturn.jpg | Sega Saturn Cover
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|Arvydas Sabonis (Lithuania)
</gallery>
 
  
==NBA Live 96==
+
|-
NBA Live 96 featured the first lone cover player in Shaquille O'Neal, as well as an alternate cover featuring a shot from the 1995 Finals series between Orlando and Houston that was primarily used for the console versions.
+
|[[NBA Live 2002]]
 +
|Michael Jordan (Japan)
  
<gallery>
+
|-
Image:96cover.jpg | English Cover
+
|[[NBA Live 2004]]
Image:96coveralternate.jpg | Alternate Cover
+
|Raul Lopez (Spain)
</gallery>
 
  
==NBA Live 95==
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|-
The first NBA Live featured several players from the NBA Finals but the ones that stood out were Robert Horry of the Rockets and John Starks of the Knicks.
+
|[[NBA Live 2005]]
 +
|Tony Parker (France), Pau Gasol (Spain)
  
<gallery>
+
|-
Image:95cover.jpg | English Cover
+
|[[NBA Live 06]]
</gallery>
+
|Tony Parker (France), Pau Gasol (Spain), Yuta Tabuse (Japan)
 +
 
 +
|-
 +
|[[NBA Live 07]]
 +
|Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), Tony Parker/Boris Diaw (France), Pau Gasol (Spain)
 +
 
 +
|-
 +
|[[NBA Live 08]]
 +
|Luol Deng (United Kingdom), Andrea Bargnani (Italy), Pau Gasol (Spain), Tony Parker/Boris Diaw (France)
 +
 
 +
|-
 +
|[[NBA Live 09]]
 +
|Luol Deng (United Kingdom), Andrea Bargnani (Italy), Pau Gasol (Spain)
 +
 
 +
|-
 +
|[[NBA Live 10]]
 +
|Pau Gasol (Spain), Luol Deng (United Kingdom)
 +
 
 +
|}
  
 
== Links ==
 
== Links ==
  
*[[NBA Elite Covers]]
+
*[[NBA 2K Covers]]
 +
*[[NBA Live series]]
  
 
[[Category:NBA Live]]
 
[[Category:NBA Live]]

Revision as of 15:11, 12 June 2020

The very first NBA Live cover featured a shot from the 1994 NBA Finals, with Robert Horry and John Starks in the foreground. Beginning with Shaquille O'Neal in NBA Live 96, EA Sports have chosen a lone player to grace the cover of NBA Live, with the exeption of the French cover for NBA Live 07 that featured both Boris Diaw and Tony Parker as well as the Mobile cover for NBA Live 06 that didn't feature any player). Whereas the cover of EA Sports' Madden series is jokingly referred to as being "cursed" due to unfortunate injuries that have been suffered by NFL players who have graced it, NBA Live's cover players have generally avoided such misfortune.

In 2006, Dwyane Wade became the first player to win the NBA Championship in the same year he appeared on the cover of NBA Live. The 2006 NBA Champion Miami Heat featured three former cover players in Wade (NBA Live 06), Shaquille O'Neal (NBA Live 96) and Antoine Walker (NBA Live 99).

Kevin Durant was set to be featured on the cover of the re-branded NBA Elite 11, a game that was ultimately cancelled. Durant would later be recognised along with other former cover players as part of the unlockable "Cover Players" team in EA Sports' NBA Jam: On Fire Edition.

Main Covers

Game Player Notes
NBA Live 95 Robert Horry/John Starks Shot from the 1994 NBA Finals, with Horry and Starks featured most prominently.
NBA Live 96 Shaquille O'Neal An alternate cover featuring a shot from the 1995 NBA Finals - in which Shaquille O'Neal appeared with the Orlando Magic - was primarily used for the console versions.
NBA Live 97 Mitch Richmond
NBA Live 98 Tim Hardaway
NBA Live 99 Antoine Walker
NBA Live 2000 Tim Duncan Michael Jordan was featured in a sidebar, promoting his first official appearance as a Legend.
NBA Live 2001 Kevin Garnett
NBA Live 2002 Steve Francis Michael Jordan appeared on the Japanese version, released in 2002.
NBA Live 2003 Jason Kidd First player to appear in the NBA Finals the same year as appearing on the NBA Live cover. The New Jersey Nets lost to the San Antonio Spurs in six games.
NBA Live 2004 Vince Carter
NBA Live 2005 Carmelo Anthony Previously appeared on the cover of NCAA March Madness 2004.
NBA Live 06 Dwyane Wade First player to win the championship the same year as appearing on the NBA Live cover. Different covers were used for the prior gen and new gen versions of the game.
NBA Live 07 Tracy McGrady
NBA Live 08 Gilbert Arenas
NBA Live 09 Tony Parker
NBA Live 10 Dwight Howard The Orlando Magic had appeared in the 2009 NBA Finals, losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in five games.
NBA Elite 11 Kevin Durant Game cancelled.
NBA Live 13 LeBron James Never officially announced due to the game's cancellation. Confirmed by former Executive Producer Sean O'Brien.
NBA Live 14 Kyrie Irving
NBA Live 15 Damian Lillard
NBA Live 16 Russell Westbrook Westbrook is also the "cover" player for NBA Live Mobile.
NBA Live 18 James Harden Harden was previously one of the cover players for NBA 2K16.
NBA Live 19 Joel Embiid

International Covers

The first game in the series with a regional cover was the Lithuanian release of NBA Live 2001, which featured Arvydas Sabonis. The Japanese version of NBA Live 2002 featured Michael Jordan on the cover wearing his Washington Wizards uniform, though this was not widely known or promoted outside of the country. From NBA Live 2004 to NBA Live 10, EA Sports featured alternate covers for several international releases in certain regions including Spain, Italy, Germany, France, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Game Player & Region
NBA Live 2001 Arvydas Sabonis (Lithuania)
NBA Live 2002 Michael Jordan (Japan)
NBA Live 2004 Raul Lopez (Spain)
NBA Live 2005 Tony Parker (France), Pau Gasol (Spain)
NBA Live 06 Tony Parker (France), Pau Gasol (Spain), Yuta Tabuse (Japan)
NBA Live 07 Dirk Nowitzki (Germany), Tony Parker/Boris Diaw (France), Pau Gasol (Spain)
NBA Live 08 Luol Deng (United Kingdom), Andrea Bargnani (Italy), Pau Gasol (Spain), Tony Parker/Boris Diaw (France)
NBA Live 09 Luol Deng (United Kingdom), Andrea Bargnani (Italy), Pau Gasol (Spain)
NBA Live 10 Pau Gasol (Spain), Luol Deng (United Kingdom)

Links