NBA 2K27 puts Wembanyama, Caitlin Clark and Derrick Rose on its covers — a WNBA first among them

NBA 2K27's cover reveal did something the series has never done: it put a WNBA player on one of its main global covers. On July 22, 2K announced its three cover athletes for three editions — and one of them is a milestone.

• Standard Edition — Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs' generational big man.
• Deluxe Edition — Caitlin Clark, the Indiana Fever guard, and the first WNBA player to front a global NBA 2K cover.
• Ultra Edition — Derrick Rose, the former Chicago Bulls MVP.

When it's out, and what it costs

NBA 2K27 releases September 4, 2026, on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2 and PC. Buyers of the Deluxe or Ultra editions get early access starting August 28, and the top-tier Ultra Edition is only available through September 6.

On price: 2K did not itemize every edition's cost in the announcement we reviewed, so we won't state figures it hasn't confirmed. For context, recent NBA 2K standard editions have launched at $69.99, with deluxe and collector tiers rising from there — expect this year's editions to follow a similar ladder, and check the storefront for the exact numbers.

The three athletes

Wembanyama anchors the standard edition as the face of the league's next era. Clark headlines the Deluxe — a genuine landmark for women's basketball in gaming (more on the WNBA below). And Rose brings the nostalgia: the 2011 MVP, who retired in 2024 after 16 seasons and had his No. 1 retired by the Bulls, gets his own edition. He framed it as full-circle, in a statement provided by 2K:

"It's crazy looking back at being on the NBA 2K13 cover to now having my own edition for NBA 2K27… this is a chance to inspire young athletes to stay obsessed with the game."

Every Recent NBA 2K Cover

NBA 2K cover athletes: a searchable history, edition by edition

Who has fronted NBA 2K, year by year — standard covers plus the special, WNBA and legend editions — back through the last decade-plus, including the 2K27 trio of Wembanyama, Caitlin Clark and Derrick Rose.

Search the tableDownload CSV

Game	Released	Standard cover	Other editions
NBA 2K27	2026	Victor Wembanyama	Caitlin Clark (Deluxe — first WNBA player on a global cover); Derrick Rose (Ultra)
NBA 2K26	2025	Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	Angel Reese (WNBA); Carmelo Anthony (Superstar)
NBA 2K25	2024	Jayson Tatum	A'ja Wilson (WNBA); Vince Carter (Hall of Fame)
NBA 2K24	2023	Kobe Bryant	Kobe Bryant (Black Mamba Edition) — a tribute year
NBA 2K23	2022	Devin Booker	Michael Jordan (MJ Edition); Sabrina Ionescu (WNBA)
NBA 2K22	2021	Luka Dončić	Candace Parker (WNBA 25th — first WNBA cover star); 75th Anniversary: Abdul-Jabbar, Durant, Nowitzki
NBA 2K21	2020	Damian Lillard	Zion Williamson (next-gen); Kobe Bryant (Mamba Forever)
NBA 2K20	2019	Anthony Davis	Dwyane Wade (Legend)
NBA 2K19	2018	Giannis Antetokounmpo	LeBron James (20th Anniversary)
NBA 2K18	2017	Kyrie Irving	Shaquille O'Neal (Legend)
NBA 2K17	2016	Paul George	Kobe Bryant (Legend)

How this is calculated

A hand-checked list of NBA 2K cover athletes by edition, verified against 2K's own announcements and reputable coverage. Standard-edition cover is listed first; additional editions (special, WNBA and legend covers) are noted alongside. Years shown are the game's release year.

Data as of July 21, 2026 · verified July 21, 2026 · v1

Assumptions, limitations & sources

Assumptions

• · Years are the game's release year; the game's title uses the following season (e.g., NBA 2K27 released in 2026).

Limitations

• · Lists cover athletes only, not every promotional or regional variant cover.
• · Editions and their names change year to year (Deluxe, Ultra, WNBA, Legend, Anniversary, etc.).

Sources

• 2K Newsroom — NBA 2K27 cover athletes revealed (Wembanyama, Clark, Rose) — 2K, checked July 21, 2026
• 2K Newsroom — NBA 2K26 cover athletes (Gilgeous-Alexander, Reese, Anthony) — 2K, checked July 21, 2026
• 2K Newsroom — NBA 2K25 cover athletes (Tatum, Wilson, Carter) — 2K, checked July 21, 2026
• 2K Newsroom — NBA 2K24 celebrates Kobe Bryant as cover athlete — 2K, checked July 21, 2026

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Is the WNBA in the game?

Yes — and it has been for years. The WNBA became playable in the series with NBA 2K21, and WNBA stars have appeared on covers since Candace Parker on the NBA 2K22 WNBA edition — the first WNBA cover star — followed by Sabrina Ionescu, A'ja Wilson and Angel Reese on subsequent WNBA editions. What makes Clark different is that she is on the Deluxe — a mainstream, global edition — not a WNBA-specific one. That is the "first" here.

How much were they paid, and who represents them?

Here is the honest answer to the money question: cover-athlete fees are private endorsement deals, and none of the figures were disclosed. Anyone quoting an exact number is guessing, so we're not printing one. What we can confirm is representation: Caitlin Clark is represented by Excel Sports Management (her team includes agents Erin Kane and Alan Zucker), and Victor Wembanyama is represented by Bouna Ndiaye of ComSport. Derrick Rose is retired; his current representation was not something we could confirm, so we are leaving it open rather than guessing.

Can a player say no? How the likenesses work

David asked a sharp question: do players choose to be in the game, or is it a deal between the league and the publisher? The answer is both leagues and the union. 2K (owned by Take-Two) licenses on two tracks:

• The NBA licenses team names, logos and uniforms.
• The National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) — through its licensing arms — controls players' group likeness rights (the right to use players in groups of three or more, out of uniform). That group license is what puts the league's players into the game's rosters collectively.

So an individual player is in the base game as part of the union's collective group license, not a one-by-one opt-in — while a cover deal is a separate, individual endorsement the player (and their agent) negotiates on top of that. A player's personal, standalone endorsements are always their own.

The company behind it

The publisher is Take-Two Interactive (Nasdaq: TTWO), whose labels include 2K and Rockstar Games. Its market value is around $44 billion as of mid-July 2026. The financial picture underneath is striking: revenue has grown, but the company has been posting large net losses driven by acquisition-related impairments.

• FY2021 — revenue ~$3.37 billion
• FY2022 — revenue ~$3.50 billion
• FY2023 — revenue ~$5.35 billion
• FY2024 — revenue ~$5.35 billion, net loss ~$3.74 billion (goodwill impairment ~$2.34 billion)
• FY2025 — revenue ~$5.63 billion, net loss ~$4.48 billion (goodwill impairment ~$3.55 billion)

In other words, NBA 2K is one of the steadiest earners at a company whose bottom line has been dominated by write-downs and the long, expensive runway to Rockstar's next Grand Theft Auto. The comparison of cover athletes above puts this year's trio in the context of the last decade of the franchise.