Kyrie Irving to grace NBA 2K18 cover
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving will be the cover athlete for the next NBA 2K video game.
This isn’t the first time Kyrie Irving, the starring point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers, has been on the cover of a video game. Irving was also on the cover of EA Sports’ NBA Live 14.
In receiving this honor, he joins his teammate LeBron James, who was the cover athlete for NBA 2K14. In that year’s edition of the game, a special mode dedicated to LeBron was included. Players were able to play a fictional version of the remainder of LeBron’s career.
Former Cavalier Shaquille O’Neal will be on the “Legend Edition” cover of 2K18. It will be his third all time cover appearance in the game’s history.
This is the latest of what has become a long list of accolades for the former Duke point guard. Irving is a four-time NBA All-Star, former Rookie of the Year, and NBA champion. He averaged 25.2 points this season, which was a career-high while shooting 47.3 percent from the field, 40.1 percent from three-point range and 90.5 percent from the free-throw line.
He’s scored a combined 9,328 points in the regular season and the playoffs in his NBA career at only 24-years-old. He’s also dished a total of 2,335 assists while contributing 575 steals in his NBA career.
His style on offense, with his ability to shoot and use any number of crossover dribbles, is something you can see kids emulating today.
According to USA Today, Irving had this to say about the cover in a press release:
"“The opportunity that’s at hand, to be able to grace the cover of 2K, some of the greatest athletes that have played our game have been on this cover, I’m just glad I just joined that lineage,” says Irving."
As Kyrie’s list of accomplishments continues to grow, so does his star power and popularity. Gamers and fans will be able to pick up NBA 2K18 when it releases on September 19th, on most major gaming platforms.