Joel Embiid Is the ‘NBA Live 19’ Cover Athlete

This morning EA officially revealed that Joel Embiid would be gracing the cover of NBA Live 19, which is set to launch on September 7 on Xbox One and PlayStation 4.

“It’s great, it’s amazing. I’m thankful for this opportunity, especially as a basketball player,” Embiid said in an interview with Electronic Arts. “You work so hard because you have goals in life, you want to be in the Hall of Fame, but also, being on the cover of a video game is something I’ve always dreamed of and I’m happy to be in this position.”

In the interview, Embiid thinks back to his boyhood playing volleyball, and how seeing a video of Hakeem Olajuwon changed his life forever. “I always wanted to be like two big men,” he said. “Akeem (Hakeem Olajuwon) was one and then Wilt Chamberlain was the other. I tried to take skills and a little bit from both. Obviously, Wilt was way more athletic than I am and then Akeem was more fluid, but I feel like I have a little bit of both and I’ve added stuff to my game, too, as far as being able to shoot and all that. But, I feel like I have a lot of them in me.”

Obviously his attempt to synthesize the talents and styles of his heroes has paid off in the end, and Embiid has emerged as one of the most influential players in the league. He’s also one of three Cameroonian players in the NBA. His life has been full of setbacks, surgery, depression, rehab, and redemption, and now young basketball players look up to him the way that he used to look up to Akeem “The Dream” Olajuwon. How fitting, then, that he should be honored as this year’s cover athlete for EA’s flagship basketball franchise.

“Joel is a perfect fit to grace the cover of NBA LIVE 19,” said Joshua Rabenovets, Senior Brand Director at EA SPORTS. “He is the voice of the new wave of basketball players and his on-court dominance, creative personality, and love for the fans made him an ideal choice for this year’s game.”

We’ll see you all on the court on September 7! In the meantime, drop a line down in the comments to let us know what you think of this year’s reveal, and let us know what you’re hoping to see change in NBA Live 19.