LeBron James featured on the cover of NBA 2K19

The cover athlete for NBA 2K19 has been announced, and for the second year in a row it’ll feature a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers (sort of). LeBron James has been chosen for the franchise’s 20th anniversary special edition.

The cover features words chosen by LeBron for their special meaning to him. There are phrases that have been tied to his career, like “strive for greatness” and the “Chosen 1” that he has as a tatoo across his back. As well as “equality” in honor of the work he has done for social justice, and “G.O.A.T.” because... well, he probably is.

It appears as though that NBA 2K learned their lesson with Cavs stars after last season. Kyrie Irving was featured on the cover last season and they were forced to edit his jersey to reflect him being traded to the Celtics. With free agency looming for LeBron, there is no jersey present in this cover to prevent that issue.

Via Variety, this special edition release will include the following bonuses:

The NBA 2K19 20th Anniversary Edition includes the following digital items:

100,000 Virtual Currency;

50,000 MyTEAM points;

20 MyTEAM League Packs;

Sapphire LeBron James MyTEAM Card;

10 MyTEAM “20th Anniversary” Packs;

5 LeBron-themed murals for MyCOURT;

LeBron MyCOURT design;

LeBron Nike apparel capsule: Includes LeBron-themed shirts, hats, socks, jersey, and

hoodies;

LeBron Nike shoe collection: Includes 25 different pairs of LeBron’s signature shoes,

including the Lebron 15’s and 16’s!

Physical Items include:

LeBron NBA 2K19 poster;

NBA 2K sticker sheet;

Custom Wristband featuring LeBron’s chosen words.

I wouldn’t read too much into the cover not featuring LeBron in a Cavs jersey, as with this being a legacy edition game it’s best to not tie him to one franchise when he’s won championships with two. As well as the aforementioned issues 2K had last year likely causing them to take a cautious approach.

Either way, it’s a pretty cool cover and likely a collectors piece for fans of both the franchise as well as LeBron James. You can see a trailer for the game below: