(Photo : Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Luka Doncic and Candace Parker both made history on Wednesday as the two basketball stars were officially announced as cover athletes for NBA 2K22, the latest installment of the top-selling and highly popular NBA video game simulation series of the past 20 years.
Two-time All-Star Luka Doncic was chosen as the cover athlete for the Standard Edition and Cross-Gen Digital Bundle of the NBA 2K22 game. Doncic was an obvious choice for 2K Sports, given the Slovenian's growing popularity in the United States and across the globe.
He is coming off his third NBA season, named Rookie of the Year in the 2019 campaign, and selected first team All-NBA the past two seasons. He was sensational this past season for the Mavericks, leading Dallas to the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs, where they lost in seven games to the Los Angeles Clippers. Doncic scored 46 points in that Game 7 loss as he became the youngest player in NBA history to average over 35 points in a single playoff series.
Doncic and Dirk make Dallas proud
Doncic was delighted with his 2K selection, saying, "Making the global cover of NBA 2K22 is special for me."
"I'm proud to represent my country in a special cover that honors the colors of the Slovenian flag," he later added in his statement.
With Doncic gracing the cover of 2K22, he finally snapped the coverless streak of Dallas Mavericks players. Since NBA 2K debuted in 1999, no Mavs player has appeared on the 38 standard, special edition, and spin-off covers of this beloved video game. Kristaps Porzingis did appear on the cover for the My NBA 2K18 spin-off, but he was a member of the New York Knicks at that time.
Doncic isn't the only Dallas superstar who will appear on the cover of 2K22. Also receiving this accolade is Dirk Nowitzki, who will grace the NBA 75th Anniversary edition cover, alongside fellow basketball legends Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kevin Durant.
This 2K22 edition celebrates three of the league's most iconic big men who revolutionized the league and the game of basketball over the past 75 years. Abdul-Jabbar is the NBA's all-time scoring leader, a six-time NBA champion and MVP, and a great Hall of Famer. Nowitzki is a 14-time All-Star and an NBA champion and MVP as well.
Durant is the only player among the trio who is still active. He's an 11-time All-Star, a league MVP, and a two-time NBA champion. Durant will be going to Tokyo for the Summer Olympics, where he looks to win his third consecutive gold medal.
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Candace Parker makes history with 2K cover
Chicago Sky All-Star forward Candace Parker continued her role as a pioneer for the women's game as she became the first female athlete to grace a cover for the 2K series. She will appear on the cover of the WNBA 25th anniversary special edition for NBA 2K22.
Parker was ecstatic with her selection, saying, "Extremely proud and humbled to be the first female cover athlete in the history of [NBA 2K]," in a tweet. "I'm honored to work with a company that's investing in women and betting on us to succeed," Parker later added in her statement.
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