Based on the timeframe and dates of when the previous cover athletes for the NBA 2K franchise were revealed, it would be reasonable to expect a cover athletes reveal for the next installation of the NBA 2K franchise to occur within the next week or so. The cover athletes of the previous 2K basketball game, NBA 2K25 were NBA forward for the Boston Celtics Jayson Tatum, WNBA center for the Las Vegas Aces A’ja Wilson, and former NBA guard Vince Carter. For simplicity in this article, we will only look at candidates in the NBA, and current players. Also, players who have either been on the cover in the previous three installments or have been on the cover multiple times in the past will not be included in this candidates list. The candidates will be chosen based on their on-court performance, and their popularity among fans, which will be measured by Instagram followings.

The first candidate we will look at is the reigning MVP of the NBA, Shai-Gilgeous Alexander. The Canadian guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder obviously had a tremendous year, averaging over 32 points per game, to go along with 5 rebounds and 6 assists. He also of course just won the NBA title. In terms of his Instagram following, Shai has a strong presence as well, as he has over 4.5 million followers. The only potential blemish on his candidacy is his style of play, with some fans complaining that he does not bring excitement to the court. This could also be a potential problem for gameplay, with 2K Sports possibly having a cover athlete that gamers will not find appealing to use in-game.

The second candidate is Anthony Edwards of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Edwards, who is also a guard, does not bring the same concerns as Shai when it comes to playing style. He pulls off exciting dunks on a regular basis, and this will be a potential gameplay benefit for 2K Sports. Obviously though he is coming off a less accomplished season then the reigning MVP, Shai. With that being said, he still had a very good season, averaging over 27 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists per game. In terms of Instagram following, he is doing even better than Shai, as he has over 4.9 million followers. We will see who 2K chooses as the next cover athlete, and maybe the person is not even one of these two NBA stars, but they are certainly very strong candidates.