The world is still reeling fromthe tragic passing of NBA all-star Kobe Bryantthis week, along with his daughter Gianna Maria and several others. While fans and non-fans alike struggle to process this horrible loss, many are trying to find ways to commemorate the legacy Bryant left behind, and for many in the gaming community, the biggest honor would be to see him as the star athlete on the cover of 2K Sports’ next installment in its yearlyNBA 2Kseries,NBA 2K21.
Such a move would be far from the first way 2K and the widerNBA 2Kcommunity have commemorated Bryant. In the wake of his passing, the publisher updated its current basketball sim,NBA 2K20, to add an image of Bryant at the login screen. While 2K has done much to draw ire from players in recent months throughNBA 2K20’s aggressive use of microtransactions and in-game ads, many agreed that this was a good gesture on its part.
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However, many also agree that one login screen won’t be enough to truly remember the impact Bryant had on the sport of basketball throughout his record-breaking career. That’s why players in theNBA 2Kcommunity, who’ve beenpaying their respects to Bryant inNBA 2K20as well, have been calling for 2K to take things a step further and put him on the cover forNBA 2K21.
There’s even been plenty of fan-made mockups that have popped up over the last few days to give 2K a few ideas for how to honorthe Los Angeles Lakers icon, his life, and his legacy. Several of these (like the one below, courtesy of AltChar) are professional enough that they could easily work as the actual box art forNBA 2K21.
It wouldn’t even be the first time Bryant has graced a cover for this franchise. His first appearance was on the box art forNBA 2K10, followed by theLegend EditionofNBA 2K17. 2K clearly doesn’t have a problem with putting the same athlete on multiple covers, and, given the circumstances, it’s safe to say there’s a strong case in favor of a third-time appearance for Bryant.
It would definitely be a fitting farewell from the gaming community to a player as legendary as Kobe Bryant, but it will remain to be seen what 2K has in mind forNBA 2K21. The game is technically unannounced as of this writing, but given the franchise’s consistent schedule, plus the financial success ofNBA 2K20, it’s really only a matter of time before that changes.
NBA 2K21is likely in development for a release this year.
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