As the real-world NBA begins preparations to restart its season in the Orlando bubble, virtual basketball is already looking ahead to its upcoming season. Over the course of the past week, 2K Games has been rolling out the first information about the next chapter in its long-running basketball franchise, NBA 2K21. The new installment of the series will feature Portland Trailblazers guard Damian Lillard, New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson, and late Lost Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant as its three cover athletes, and 2K Games announced on Thursday that NBA 2K21 would be released on September 4th.
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That initial release date is specifically for NBA 2K21 on current generation consoles. The standard edition of 2K21 on current-gen will feature Lillard on the cover, while Bryant will be on the front of the new Mamba Forever Edition in his classic #8 jersey. The Mamba Forever Edition will cost $99.99, essentially replacing the Legendary Edition of the game.
NBA 2K21 will also act as one of the launch titles for the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X consoles this holiday season. The standard edition of the game on those consoles will cost $69.99 and feature Williamson on its cover. The $99.99 Mamba Forever Edition features Bryant in his modern #24. If you preorder the Mamba edition for either current or next generation consoles, it will come with a digital code for the standard edition on the other generation.
“Each of our cover athletes represent different eras of the game of basketball – Damian Lillard dominates the court today, Zion Williamson is a standard bearer for the next generation of NBA superstar and what more could be said about Kobe?,” stated Alfie Brody, Vice President of Global Marketing at NBA 2K. “Three athletes representing the current, future and storied history of the game. Today’s exciting announcement is just the first of many for NBA 2K21; it’s going to be a huge year for basketball fans and NBA 2K gamers.”
All four editions of NBA 2K21 are available to pre-order now. The game will be rleased on September 4th.
Are you looking forward to NBA 2K21? What you think of the four covers? Let us know in the comments!
