Tag Archives: Cover

From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #641 of the NLSC Podcast!

The NBA 2K27 preview season is now officially underway following the reveal of the cover players for the Standard, Deluxe, and Ultra Editions of the game, as well as their pre-order bonuses and a handful of first-look screenshots. To that end, this week we join the community in reacting to our first glimpse of NBA 2K27, as well as the prices and pre-order bonuses for all three editions. We also draw some comparisons to the pre-order bonuses for NBA 2K17 ten years ago, discuss the drawbacks of digital-only premium editions, and touch on the controversy surrounding the cover art for the Standard Edition of NBA 2K27, which was seemingly taken from a proposed design on social media.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 49:30 — 34.4MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

The NBA 2K27 preview season is officially underway, as the covers were revealed this week, along with some first-look screenshots and pre-order details. This year’s cover players are Victor Wembanyama, Caitlin Clark, and Derrick Rose. Furthermore, we have confirmation that NBA 2K27 will not be available for Gen 8 consoles (i.e. PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch). It will be coming out on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Nintendo Switch 2 on September 4th, 2026.

Victor Wembanyama appears on the cover of the Standard Edition of NBA 2K27, which will have a physical release. Caitlin Clark and Derrick Rose appear on the covers of the Deluxe and Ultra Editions of NBA 2K27 respectively, though both are digital-only releases. The Deluxe and Ultra Editions aren’t available in some regions, as they contain pre-order bonuses related to the game’s recurrent revenue and gambling mechanics.

NBA 2K27 is already available to pre-order. As for the pre-order bonuses, it’s the usual assortment of VC, MyTEAM cards, and boosts for MyCAREER; at least in the two more expensive editions. The Standard Edition only includes 10,000 VC, not counting any bonuses that may be offered by local retailers. Up to seven days of Early Access is available when pre-ordering the Deluxe and Ultra Editions of NBA 2K27. Additional bonuses for both NBA 2K26 and NBA 2K27 are available if you pre-order the premium editions of the latter before August 17th.

The first-look screenshots show off the three cover players, as well as Cooper Flagg. We’ve also gotten a glimpse of the “2K Mart”, an in-game shop. No other details are available at this time, but we’ll soon be getting a roadmap for the rest of the NBA 2K27 preview season. Based on previous years, I’d expect weekly developer insights through August, a gameplay trailer, and a few other snippets here and there. As always, we’ll be aggregating the news and previews, while highlighting the key information.

In the meantime, you can check out the artwork for the NBA2K27 covers below, along with the first-look screenshots and a breakdown of the pre-order bonuses. Got any thoughts? Feel free to share them in the comments below, as well as join in the discussion in the newly-launched NBA 2K27 section in our Forum! I’ll also be adding a portal for NBA 2K27 here on the main site shortly, so stay tuned for that and more details on the game as they’re released.

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Welcome to another edition of The Friday Five! Every Friday I cover a topic related to basketball gaming, either as a list of five items, or a Top 5 countdown. The topics for these lists and countdowns include everything from fun facts and recollections to commentary and critique. This week’s Five is a list of five basketball video game boxes that I personally think are awesome.

For those of us in countries that celebrate the holiday, December 26th is Boxing Day. The day isn’t about the sport of boxing – as Maxwell Q. Klinger humorously thought in an episode of M*A*S*H – but rather was originally about donating gifts to those in need. These days, it’s more of an extension of Christmas celebrations, though here in Australia it also means Test cricket, a yacht race, and sales similar to Black Friday in the United States. With all of that being said, what kind of basketball gaming-related topic would be relevant for me to discuss today?

Why, basketball video game boxes, of course! Alright, that’s a little cheesy, but cool video game boxes from the heyday of physical media can be as nostalgic as the games that they contained. Moreover, countless video game boxes – basketball or otherwise – have been opened on Christmas Day, or during Boxing Day gift exchanges. Please note that I’m not just talking about covers here. That’s certainly a part of what makes basketball video game boxes awesome, but there’s also the other box art including the previews on the back, as well as other fun design elements. I’m not saying these are necessarily the best basketball video game boxes, but they are some of my favourites.

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The preview season for NBA 2K26 is officially underway! Although we’re likely at least a few weeks away from in-depth previews and developer insights, we do have some early information on NBA 2K26 from the cover players and pre-order bonuses for all of the editions, to the release date and information about features such as crossplay, cross-gen progression, and so on. A few First Look screenshots have also been released, along with an announce trailer.

First of all, NBA 2K26 will be released globally on September 5th, 2025. Four editions are available: the Standard Edition featuring Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the cover, the Superstar Edition with Carmelo Anthony on the cover, the WNBA Edition featuring Angel Reese on the cover, and the Leave No Doubt Edition featuring all three NBA 2K26 cover players together. All four editions are already available to pre-order.

Obviously, there are still many details that will be revealed during the course of the preview season. However, the Steam Store page includes a preliminary features list that mentions ProPLAY, an all-new MyCAREER journey in a streamlined City, collecting past and present players in MyTEAM, a deep franchise experience in MyNBA, and unique storylines in MyGM. It’s fairly generic as you’d expect, but it confirms the presence of staple modes and features.

Interestingly, the pre-order bonuses aren’t as generous as previous years, with the Standard Edition and WNBA Edition only offering 10,000 VC if you pre-order. The game will be available on PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, the Nintendo Switch, and the Nintendo Switch 2. The ninth gen consoles will have cross-play, MyTEAM will have cross-gen progression once again, and as usual the VC wallet will be shared between consoles in the same family.

A summary of what we know so far can be found below. Check it out, along with the First Look screenshots, cover art, and announce trailer for NBA 2K26! Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, as well as join in the discussion in our newly-opened NBA 2K26 Forum. I’ve also created a page for NBA 2K26 here in our Wiki, and as always, any help in keeping it up to date would be most appreciated. Stay tuned for more news and previews in the coming weeks!

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #537 of the NLSC Podcast!

The first details about NBA 2K25 have been revealed, and they’ve brought some extremely exciting news: the New Gen version is coming to PC! This week, we join the community in discussing this much-anticipated announcement, including what it will mean for a modding community that’s been aching for a PlayStation 5/Xbox Series X port. It’s not the only noteworthy news of course, as we already have the system requirements, confirmation of no crossplay on PC, and word of a new era coming in MyNBA which naturally has us speculating as to what it will be. We also react to the cover players and art, and touch on some other tidbits that we’ve noticed such as combined pre-orders on console, and purported Steam Deck optimisation.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:16:24 — 52.8MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

We’re approaching mid-July, so it’s no surprise that we’ve received the first details about NBA 2K25! This includes the release date, cover players, platforms, and pre-order bonuses for every edition that will be available.

First of all, skipping straight to the details that will probably be of the most interest to our community, NBA 2K25 will indeed be coming out on PC, and will at long last be a New Gen (aka Next Gen) port! This means that the PC version will have MyNBA Eras, ProPLAY, The City, and The W for the first time. Notably, crossplay with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X won’t be supported, which isn’t surprising given the possibility of cheating on PC (which again, we do not support in our community). There’ll still be a Current Gen version for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch.

As for the cover players, Jayson Tatum is the face of the Standard Edition. A’ja Wilson is the cover player for the WNBA Edition, while both Tatum and Wilson are featured on the cover of the All-Star Edition. The Hall of Fame Edition – aka the most expensive edition of the game – features Vince Carter on the cover. You can check out the cover art below, along with a breakdown of the various pre-order bonuses for each edition.

Additionally, first look screenshots of the three cover players, as well as Victor Wembanyama and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, have been released via the official NBA 2K Discord. You’ll find those screenshots below, along with the aforementioned pre-order info and cover art.

NBA 2K25 is slated for release on September 6th, 2024, and is now available to pre-order. Since we now have the first details about NBA 2K25, I’ve created a section for the game in the Forum, which you can find here; feel free to get the ball rolling on the discussion as we await further previews! I’ve also created a page in our Wiki which you can find here. As always, any help in keeping it up to date throughout the preview season and beyond would be most appreciated. With that being said, another preview season is underway! I’ll be doing my best to stay on top of the news, but by all means send me any tips if you come across info that I haven’t posted.

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This is Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! From retrospectives of basketball games and their interesting features, to republished articles and looking at NBA history through the lens of the virtual hardwood, Wednesdays at the NLSC are for going back in time. This week, I’m taking a look back at the EA Sports cover players that can be found in NBA Live 16.

Did you know that every single NBA 2K cover player is available to play with in NBA 2K24? Between the cover players that are still active and the game’s array of classic and All-Time teams, they’re all accounted for. Obviously, we haven’t had a new NBA Live since 2018, but even then, NBA Live 19 didn’t include every cover player in the history of the series. On top of that, a couple of the cover players that were included in NBA Live 19 were nevertheless retired, and thus exclusive to the collection of Legends in Ultimate Team.

If we want to find the last NBA Live game that featured a healthy selection of players who appeared on the cover of EA Sports’ long-running basketball sim series, we must go back a few years to NBA Live 16. In fact, not only does NBA Live 16 feature a number of NBA Live cover players, but also players who graced the covers of EA Sports’ college basketball titles. And so, I thought it might be fun to spotlight those cover players who are readily accessible in NBA Live 16, wearing EA Sports jerseys in the game’s practice mode. Let’s take a look back…way back…

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We’re at midcourt, and the ball is about to go up…it’s Monday Tip-Off! Join me as I begin the week here at the NLSC with my opinions and commentary on basketball gaming topics, as well as tales of the fun I’ve been having on the virtual hardwood. This week, I’m tipping things off with some assorted cover player trivia.

I’m sure that it’s apparent from my various features, as well as comments I’ve made on the NLSC Podcast, that I really enjoy trivia about my passions. I love discovering new “fun facts” about my favourite hobbies and interests, and of course, discussing them in the content that I create. Of course, the downside of being passionate about trivia is that it’s easy to come off as a know-it-all, or a bore. Still, I imagine that if you’re here to consume content about basketball video games, you enjoy these facts as well! It’s always my aim to share something that hopefully not everyone will know.

So, cover player trivia. It seems only appropriate, since in the grand scheme of things, there aren’t too many aspects of basketball video games that are as trivial as the cover player! The face of the game doesn’t necessarily indicate its quality, and there have been some out-of-the-box choices on the front of the box throughout the years. It’s still a point of interest, of course. We admire creative cover art, and while it doesn’t (or shouldn’t) impact our enjoyment of a game, we also appreciate a worthy cover player. With so many basketball games and a multitude of players appearing on their covers, there’s some interesting trivia we can dive into as we tip off another week.

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Pre-orders for NBA 2K24 are now open, and the pre-order bonuses have subsequently been revealed. As usual, they consist of VC, MT, MyTEAM packs and cards, boosts for MyCAREER, and MyPLAYER gear. All of the pre-order bonuses for each edition of NBA 2K24 can be found below.

Speaking of editions, two more have been announced, and their covers revealed. There will be a 25th Anniversary Edition of NBA 2K24, with a cover featuring a custom championship ring. It’s the premium edition of NBA 2K24, and once again includes a one-year NBA League Pass subscription, as well as additional bonuses if you pre-order by July 25th. This year’s WNBA edition features Sabrina Ionescu on its cover, and is once again exclusive to GameStop and North America. A first look screenshot of Ionescu has also been posted.

Following up on the leak from the 2K Intel account, crossplay has also officially been announced. It is a Next Gen/New Gen exclusive however, but it does mean that PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S gamers will finally be able to meet up in cooperative and competitive play in NBA 2K24. A trailer touting crossplay has also been posted, which you can check out below along with the latest covers, Sabrina Ionescu screenshot, and details on the NBA 2K24 pre-order bonuses.

Got any thoughts? Feel free to share them in the comments below, as well as join in the discussion in our NBA 2K24 Forum!

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Another preview season is officially underway, and usual, it begins with a cover reveal! 2K has revealed that there will be two Kobe Bryant covers for NBA 2K24: one for the Kobe Bryant Edition, and one for the Black Mamba Edition.

Although further details are yet to be revealed, it seems safe to assume that the Black Mamba Edition is this year’s premium edition of the game. Pre-orders will open tomorrow, so it’s possible that we’ll get some preliminary info about the bonuses at that time.

Judging by recent years, we probably won’t get a ton of details about NBA 2K24 until August. That’s usually when the developer blogs and gameplay trailers drop, with 2K revealing their roadmap for the preview season in late July as part of the hype train. In any case, I’ll be aggregating the news throughout the preview season, and Dee and I will of course discuss the developments on the NLSC Podcast.

In the meantime, you can check out both NBA 2K24 covers featuring Kobe Bryant below. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, as well as join in the discussion here in the Forum! Please note that I’ve added a page for NBA 2K24 in our Wiki; as always, I invite you to add information as it’s confirmed. I’ll also be launching a portal for the game here on the main site soon, so stay tuned.

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Next up in the final rush of NBA 2K23 news is this year’s MyCAREER trailer! According to the trailer, the MyPLAYER character will once again be named “MP”, with this year’s story beginning after the 2022 NBA Draft. From there, the tale will revolve around MP’s off-court brand and projects, and trying to balance them with making it in the NBA.

Additionally, 2K has revealed another NBA 2K23 cover, featuring rapper J. Cole as the face of the “Dreamer Edition”. This cover, much like the WNBA cover featuring Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi, will be exclusive to GameStop in the United States and Canada.

J. Cole will also be a character in the NBA 2K23 MyCAREER story, as revealed by the trailer. As usual, current and former NBA players have voiced cameos, and it appears that Kendrick Perkins will once again appear in a somewhat antagonistic role. Fellow player turned analyst J.J. Redick also joins Perkins in commenting on MP’s journey.

Check out the trailer below, along with the Dreamer Edition cover art. What are your thoughts on the latest news? Sound off in the comments, and join in the discussion here in the NLSC Forum!

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #434 of the NLSC Podcast!

How much would you pay for a sealed copy of Lakers vs. Celtics? Here’s a hint: it’ll set you back more than the Championship Edition of NBA 2K23! Speaking of which, in the wake of the NBA 2K23 preview season tipping off, we discuss the cover reveals, pre-order bonuses, and the return of the Jordan Challenge. With the news that the PC version will be Current Gen once again, we consider the possible reasons for the decision, and the future of the series on the platform. We also talk about some interesting NBA Live rumours, and the underrated NBA Inside Drive series. In this week’s mailbag, the community reacts to the news about NBA 2K23 PC, and suggests new games for the Jordan Challenge.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:43:36 — 71.5MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!

Shams Charania leaked it last week, but 2K have now officially announced that Devin Booker is the cover player for the standard edition of NBA 2K23. If you’ve missed the previous announcements, the special and championship editions feature Michael Jordan/his signed jersey on the cover, while the WNBA edition cover players are Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi.

As with the previous announcements, 2K has posted a teaser trailer featuring Devin Booker, as well as a first look screenshot and behind-the-scenes video of the cover shoot. You can check them out below, along with the full cover art.

NBA 2K23 is now available to pre-order, and will be released on September 9th, 2022. The pre-order bonuses have been revealed, and include the usual assortment of VC, MT, MyTEAM cards, and cosmetic items. Notably, as originally reported by IGN, the Championship Edition also includes a year’s subscription to NBA League Pass. Special editions include the same pre-order bonuses as the standard edition, in addition to their own bonuses.

Further information on the different editions and their pre-order bonuses can be found below. What are your thoughts on this year’s bonuses, and Devin Booker being one of the NBA 2K23 cover players? Have your say in the comments, and join in the discussion here in the Forum!

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Following the reveal of the Michael Jordan Edition of NBA 2K23, 2K has announced the cover players of the WNBA Edition: Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm, and Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury.

As with last year’s WNBA Edition featuring Candace Parker on the cover, it will be a GameStop exclusive in the United States and Canada. All editions of NBA 2K23 will feature WNBA content, though it remains to be seen if the Current Gen/PC version has any of the WNBA modes that were introduced on Next Gen.

To celebrate their WNBA cover players’ commitment to equal opportunities for all athletes, 2K will also be donating $100,000 to Every Kid Sports. The donation will help increase access to youth basketball programs for over 550 girls from income-restricted families.

In addition to the cover art for the WNBA Edition of NBA 2K23, 2K has released in-game screenshots of Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi. You can check those out below, along with a teaser trailer. Further announcements, including the likely official reveal of Devin Booker as the standard edition cover player, will be coming soon. In the meantime, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, as well as join in the discussion in our NBA 2K23 Forum!

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From courtside of the virtual hardwood, it’s Episode #433 of the NLSC Podcast!

The official Electronic Arts and WWE Games Twitter accounts made bewildering gaffes this past week, and like many of our fellow gamers, we’re unimpressed. Obsidian, meanwhile, displayed an attitude that we’d like to see more often. Elsewhere, NBA insider Shams Charania apparently leaked the NBA 2K23 cover player, and we have some thoughts on 2K’s choice. Since the NBA 2K23 preview season is almost upon us, we also reflect on NBA 2K22, summing up our final thoughts on the game, and giving it a rating out of ten. After reminiscing about a satisfying session of NBA Jam: On Fire Edition, we open up the mailbag to discuss who should be the five best-rated players in NBA 2K23.

Download or play on your mobile device/tablet: CLICK HERE (Running time: 1:30:06 — 62.2MB)

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify

To get involved with the mailbag or to provide any feedback on the show, hit us up in the comments, reach out on social media, or post here in the NLSC Forum! For more information on the NLSC Podcast including episode guides, check out this page in our Wiki. You can also find the show on our YouTube channel, along with the rest of our video content. As always, thanks for tuning in, and go get buckets!