Kobe Bryant Will Be On Cover Of NBA 2K21 Mamba Forever Edition

Bryant, a five-time NBA champion over his 20 seasons will the Lakers, will be posthumously honored with his third NBA 2K cover appearance.

Kobe Bryant, a five-time NBA champion over his 20 seasons with the Lakers, will be on the cover of NBA 2K21 Mamba Forever edition. 

His likeness will appear on two separate covers. 

The cover for the next-generation edition will be a photo of him waving after his final game in 2016 in which he scored 60 points. The current-generation version will use artwork from his career-high 81-point game against Toronto in 2006. 

8️⃣ Relentless. Driven. A true competitor. We celebrate Kobe Bryant as our Cover Athlete for the Current Gen Mamba Forever Edition 🐍 #NBA2K21 pic.twitter.com/1wfH4kTPPN

— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) July 2, 2020

Fans were clamoring for Bryant to be an NBA 2K cover athlete after he died Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other people. 

This will be Bryant's third time on the cover. He was also the cover athlete for NBA 2K10 and the Legend edition for NBA 2K17.

Along with Bryant, Portland Trail Blazers Damian Lillard (current-generation) and New Orleans Pelicans Zion Williamson (next-generation) will also be cover athletes for NBA 2K. 

"Each of our cover athletes represent different eras of the game of basketball—Damian Lillard dominates the court today, Zion Williamson is a standard-bearer for the next generation of NBA superstar and what more could be said about Kobe?" Alfie Brody, the vice president of global marketing at NBA 2K, said in a statement. "Three athletes representing the current, future and storied history of the game. Today’s exciting announcement is just the first of many for NBA 2K21; it’s going to be a huge year for basketball fans and NBA 2K gamers."

The Mamba Forever edition replaces the Legend edition.