Earlier this week, 2K Sports revealed Damian Lillard and Zion Williamson were going to be two of its cover stars for NBA 2K21, but many already knew the late Kobe Bryant would be the third. On Thursday morning, 2K finally unveiled for the cover art for the “Mamba Forever Edition” featuring Kobe.
Here is the cover for the current-gen version.
8️⃣ Relentless. Driven. A true competitor. We celebrate Kobe Bryant as our Cover Athlete for the Current Gen Mamba Forever Edition 🐍 #NBA2K21 pic.twitter.com/1wfH4kTPPN
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) July 2, 2020
And for the next-gen version.
2️⃣4️⃣ Legend. Leader. Champion. We honor Kobe Bryant as our Cover Athlete for the Next Gen Mamba Forever Edition 💜💛 #NBA2K21 pic.twitter.com/OOONVibhvX
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) July 2, 2020
Mamba Forever 💜💛 A closer look at the covers
We love and miss you Kobe #NBA2K21 pic.twitter.com/Jf1M5kUewx
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) July 2, 2020
22K provided more details on all the editions of the game in its initial press release. The “Mamba Forever Edition” will be available for $99.99 on current and next-generation consoles.
This year, NBA 2K21 will offer two editions of the game on digital and physical formats – standard and a special Mamba Forever Edition. NBA 2K21 will be available for $59.99** on current-generation platforms; the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X version of NBA 2K21 will be available for $69.99.** NBA 2K21 Mamba Forever Edition will be available for $99.99 for both current and next-generation platforms.** It includes dual-access where purchasing Mamba Forever Edition on either current or next-generation platforms provides a copy of the standard edition game on the other generation at no additional cost, within the same console generation. A full breakdown of pre-order details is available at https://nba.2k.com/.
For NBA 2K21, Legend Edition is replaced by the Mamba Forever Edition, celebrating Kobe Bryant’s lifelong pursuit of victory and legacy in the sport of basketball. For many fans, Kobe’s achievements on the court and love for the game had tremendous impact around the world and his list of awards and accolades is intensive: five-time NBA champion, 18-time NBA All-Star, two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, 2008 NBA MVP, 11-time All-NBA First Team, 9-time NBA All-Defensive First Team, two-time NBA Scoring Champion, 2008 and 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist, the all-time leading scorer for the Los Angeles Lakers and much more. Kobe was the cover athlete for NBA 2K10, the Legend Edition of NBA 2K17 and is immortalized in the NBA 2K21 Mamba Forever Edition with unique custom covers for both current generation and next-generation versions of the game that honor the span of his career, from his days wearing No. 8 and scoring 81 points to scoring 60 points wearing No. 24 the night of his final NBA game.
NBA 2K21 will drop on all current-generation systems on Sept. 4, 2020, and debut as a launch title for Xbox Series X and Playstation 5 at some point next holiday season.