Kobe Bryant Announced As NBA 2K 2024 Cover Athlete

The “Black Mamba” will again grace the cover of the popular video game franchise.

The latest edition of the acclaimed NBA2K video game series will feature one of the league’s ultimate competitors on its cover.

Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant was selected as the cover athlete for NBA 2K24, marking the fourth time the Lakers’ legend has graced the game’s cover. NBA 2K24 is the 24th edition of the popular franchise, a number that also represents one of Bryant’s iconic jersey numbers worn during his 20-year NBA career.

This year’s edition of the game features two covers of Bryant. The “Kobe Bryant Edition” shows the five-time NBA champion donning his No. 8 uniform number while the “Black Mamba” edition of the game features the 18-time All-Star in the latter years of his career.

8️⃣ ♾️2️⃣4️⃣

Sharing the Mamba Mentality with the next generation. Introducing our #NBA2K24 cover athlete, Kobe Bryant.

💛 Kobe Bryant Edition
🐍 Black Mamba Edition

Pre-order your copy tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/afcqMh5qr8

— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) July 6, 2023

Bryant first appeared on the cover of NBA 2K10. He was also featured as the special edition athlete cover on NBA2K17, in addition to a Mamba Forever Edition for NBA2K21 that commemorated his life and legacy following his death in Jan. 2020.

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The video game franchise made its debut in 1999 with NBA2K, which featured Hall of Famer Allen Iverson was featured on the cover. Most recently, Michael Jordan was the cover athlete for NBA2K23 after having previously appeared on the covers for 2K11, 2K12 and 2K16.

While an official release date for this year’s game has not been announced, pre-orders for NBA2K24 will begin Friday.