It's that time of the year again, and NBA 2K22 is here.
The latest installment of basketball's top-rated gaming franchise is set for a global release on Sept. 10, with Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic gracing the main cover ahead of his fourth NBA season.
In addition to Doncic, Chicago Sky superstar Candace Parker will grace 2K22's cover as the first-ever WNBA player to do so, Washington Wizards rising star Rui Hachimura will grace the cover in Japan and a special "Legends Edition" features Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Dirk Nowitzki and Kevin Durant on the cover.
Who else has been tabbed as the cover athlete for the NBA 2K franchise? Below, find a complete list of cover athletes, from Allen Iverson to Doncic.
| Release Year | Game | Name | Team |
| 1999 | NBA 2K | Allen Iverson | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2000 | NBA 2K1 | Allen Iverson | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2001 | NBA 2K2 | Allen Iverson | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2002 | NBA 2K3 | Allen Iverson | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2003 | ESPN NBA Basketball 2K4 | Allen Iverson | Philadelphia 76ers |
| 2004 | ESPN NBA 2K5 | Ben Wallace | Detroit Pistons |
| 2005 | NBA 2K6 | Shaquille O'Neal | Miami Heat |
| 2006 | NBA 2K7 | Shaquille O'Neal | Miami Heat |
| 2007 | NBA 2K8 | Chris Paul | New Orleans Hornets |
| 2008 | NBA 2K9 | Kevin Garnett | Boston Celtics |
| 2009 | NBA 2K10 | Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2010 | NBA 2K11 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls |
| 2011 | NBA 2K12 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls |
| NBA 2K12 | Larry Bird | Boston Celtics | |
| NBA 2K12 | Magic Johnson | Los Angeles Lakers | |
| 2012 | NBA 2K13 | Derrick Rose | Chicago Bulls |
| NBA 2K13 | Blake Griffin | LA Clippers | |
| NBA 2K13 | Kevin Durant | Oklahoma City Thunder | |
| 2013 | NBA 2K14 | LeBron James | Miami Heat |
| 2014 | NBA 2K15 | Kevin Durant | Oklahoma City Thunder |
| 2015 | NBA 2K16 | Stephen Curry | Golden State Warriors |
| NBA 2K16 | James Harden | Houston Rockets | |
| NBA 2K16 | Anthony Davis | New Orleans Pelicans | |
| 2016 | NBA 2K17 | Paul George | Indiana Pacers |
| 2017 | NBA 2K18 | Kyrie Irving | Boston Celtics |
| 2018 | NBA 2K19 | Giannis Antetokounmpo | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 2019 | NBA 2K20 | Anthony Davis | Los Angeles Lakers |
| 2020 | NBA 2K21 | Damian Lillard | Portland Trail Blazers |
| NBA 2K21 | Zion Williamson | New Orleans Pelicans | |
| 2021 | NBA 2K22 | Luka Doncic | Dallas Mavericks |
Since NBA 2K16, the franchise has released special editions of the game, from covers that honour legends to region-specific icons.
I'm so proud to grace the Canadian cover of #NBA2K18! Y'all are gonna love it. 2K18 is about to be the best ever! https://t.co/FyhDu07qGK 🇨🇦 pic.twitter.com/OsB78Yxmkq
— DeMar DeRozan (@DeMar_DeRozan) July 6, 2017
Find a list of each special-edition cover athlete below.
| Release Year | Game | Name | Team | Edition |
| 2015 | NBA 2K16 | Michael Jordan | Chicago Bulls | Michael Jordan Special Edition |
| NBA 2K16 | Pau Gasol | Chicago Bulls | Spain | |
| NBA 2K16 | Marc Gasol | Memphis Grizzlies | Spain | |
| NBA 2K16 | Dennis Schröder | Atlanta Hawks | Germany | |
| NBA 2K16 | Tony Parker | San Antonio Spurs | France | |
| 2016 | NBA 2K17 | Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers | Legend/Legend Gold |
| NBA 2K17 | Pau Gasol | San Antonio Spurs | Spain | |
| NBA 2K17 | Danilo Gallinari | Denver Nuggets | Italy | |
| 2017 | NBA 2K18 | Shaquille O'Neal | Miami Heat/Los Angeles Lakers | Legend/Legend Gold |
| NBA 2K18 | DeMar DeRozan | Toronto Raptors | Canada | |
| 2018 | NBA 2K19 | LeBron James | Los Angeles Lakers | 20th Anniversary Edition |
| NBA 2K19 | Ben Simmons | Philadelphia 76ers | Australia/New Zealand | |
| 2019 | NBA 2K20 | Dwyane Wade | Miami Heat | Legend |
| 2020 | NBA 2K21 | Kobe Bryant | Los Angeles Lakers | Mamba Forever Edition |
| 2021 | NBA 2K22 | Candace Parker | Chicago Sky | WNBA 25th Anniversary Edition |
| NBA 2K22 | Kevin Durant | Brooklyn Nets | NBA 75th Anniversary Edition | |
| NBA 2K22 | Dirk Nowitzki | Dallas Mavericks | NBA 75th Anniversary Edition | |
| NBA 2K22 | Kareem Abdul-Jabbar | Los Angeles Lakers | NBA 75th Anniversary Edition | |
| NBA 2K22 | Rui Hachimura | Washington Wizards | Japan |
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