NBA 2K19 Cover Athlete and Release Date Revealed

This morning it was revealed that the Greek Freak himself, Giannis Antetokounmpo, will serve as the NBA 2K19 cover athlete! The game is slated to hit on September 11. LeBron James will still grace the cover of the 20th Anniversary Edition of the game, and Antetokounmpo can be found on the standard edition. You can check out the reveal trailer above!

So why Antetokounmpo? For the same reason they call this man the Greek Freak. He's an incredible athlete, and the first player in NBA history to finish a regular season ranked in the top 20 for total points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks. "Triple threat" is an understatement when dealing with this guy.

"I am honored to be the first international player featured on the cover of NBA 2K19," Antetokounmpo said in this morning's press release. "I love playing NBA 2K so this means a lot to me. I have worked hard to earn recognition in the NBA and being on the cover of NBA 2K19 is a dream come true."

For the folks at 2K, it was an easy choice. "Giannis is the future of the NBA and his drive and athleticism have made him an undeniable force in the league," says NBA 2K Vice President of Marketing Alfie Brody. "He's the perfect cover athlete and we're excited to feature him as our very first international cover star, as NBA 2K has a strong following with fans all over the world."

We also have your very first look at NBA 2K19. Here's your first in-game screenshot:

NBA 2K19 will be available on September 11 for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC. We know that the 20th Anniversary Edition will be stuffed with goodies and extras, but even if you're opting for the standard edition, your pre-order will also net you some great bonuses, including:

• 5,000 Virtual Currency

• 10 MyTEAM packs (one delivered each week)

• 1 Giannis Antetokounmpo Sapphire MyTEAM card

It was also revealed that, if you're dying to start your NBA 2K19 journey as soon as possible, NBA 2K19: The Prelude will be available to download on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on August 31. In other words, we have less than two months before we can finally go hands on with NBA 2K19! We can deal with that.

So what do you guys think of this year's cover athlete reveal? Will you be putting the Greek Freak on your shelf this year, or will you be opting for the 20th Anniversary Edition with LeBron James on the cover? Let us know in the comments below, and stay tuned for all of the latest NBA 2K news!