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NBA 2K cover athletes and their curses
Date: July 6, 2020By: George E. Makris
2K Games
NBA 2K, a basketball simulation game released annually, has become popular among sports fans around the world. What became equally as popular, however, is the notorious “curse” for athletes who become the cover star of the video game for the year. The curse may include a new team for the star, a decline in stats, or other unexpected events.
At the beginning of July 2020, it was announced that Damian Lillard will be the cover athlete for current-generation platforms and Zion Williamson for new-generation platforms, along with the great Kobe Bryant in the Mamba Forever Edition. The sports world is wondering how the curse will strike this time around? In this article, we take a look into the accomplishments of each NBA 2K cover athlete and how the NBA 2K curse influenced their play upon being named the star.
Allen Iverson (NBA 2K-NBA 2K 4)
Iverson spent 5 years as the NBA 2K cover athlete from 1999 to 2004. The list of accomplishments for Iverson during those five years is impressive and well-earned. Iverson became an NBA-All-Star each year, led the league in scoring twice, won the MVP award in 2001, and led the league in steals averaging 2.7 per game in the 2002-2003 season.
However, the curse takes its first strike by not letting his team during the time, the Philadelphia 76ers, win a championship. The 76ers were close in 2001 where they lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the finals, 4-1. The last time the 76ers won an NBA championship was in 1983.
Ben Wallace (NBA 2K 5)
Power forward and center Wallace was one of the Detroit Pistons key players. Going into the 2004-05 regular season as defending NBA champions, Wallace went into the season averaging career high points with 9.7 per game along with 12.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks. The notorious Malice at the Palace takes place that season, as well. Chaos ensued after Wallace was fouled by Ron Artest of the Pacers as he was going in for a layup with 45 seconds left in the game and the Pistons winning by 15 points. Furious, Wallace shoved Artest resulting in the Pistons and Pacers clashing. The Palace of Auburn Hills, home of the Pistons, erupted with the incident resulting in 9 players receiving some form of suspension and Ben Wallace being suspended for 6 games. Nevertheless, Wallace won Defensive Player of the Year that season, but lost in the finals against the San Antonio Spurs in seven games.
Shaquille O’Neal (NBA 2K 6 & NBA 2K 7)
O’Neal won his fourth NBA Championship title 2006 with the Miami Heat, the first championship for the NBA franchise, with Dwayne Wade and company. The seven-foot-one-inch big man dominated the league as he averaged 29.5 points per game and 8.3 rebounds from 2005 to 2007. Entering the 2007 season, Shaq suffered a left knee injury. The injury resulted in Shaq missing 35 games of the season. After receiving surgery, the Miami Heat were able to make the NBA playoffs but got swept by the Chicago Bulls in the first round. This was the first time the defending champions got swept in the first round in 50 years. After that season, Shaq then missed more games due to injury and was eventually traded to the Phoenix Suns.
Chris Paul (NBA 2K 8)
Going into his second NBA season, Paul was already stunning the NBA world with his talent. Paul won the Rookie of the Year award in 2006 and led the NBA in steals and assists in the 2007-08 season. Even with the success, Paul and his team, the New Orleans Hornets, were not able to have any sort of post-season success.
Also, the star point guard suffered a terrible injury as he tore cartilage in his left knee a few years after NBA 2K 8 and was out of play for a month. He still went on to have great seasons with the Hornets where he averaged over 30 points per game and led the league in steals in 2010-2011 before joining the Los Angeles Clippers the following year.
Kevin Garnett (NBA 2K 9)
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Upon showing “Anything is possible” after winning the 2008 NBA Finals against long-time rivals the Los Angeles Lakers, Garnett became the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year where he averaged 1.4 blocks per game and 9.2 rebounds. Garnett, however, injured his right knee midway through the 2008-09 season and spent the whole year in the recovery process. The Celtics were unable to dominate at their run for the NBA Championship as they lost in the Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Orlando Magic in game seven that season. Garnett’s stats were not at what they were when he returned as his total rebounds, steals, and blocks declined compared to the previous season.
Kobe Bryant (NBA 2K 10)
It was a no brainer to make Bryant the face of the NBA going into the 2010s. Before 2010, Bryant earned three NBA Championships, scored a record 81 points in a game against the Toronto Raptors, received an Olympic gold medal, and was the Slam Dunk Contest winner in 1997. After obtaining his fourth NBA title and first Finals MVP award in 2009, he was announced as the NBA 2K 10 cover athlete. 2010 was the last time Bryant was able to win a championship and he suffered an Achilles injury shortly after. After nine months of rehab, Bryant was back to playing basketball with the Lakers until his retirement in 2016.
Michael Jordan (NBA 2K 11 & NBA 2K 12)
Chuck Burton
Even though NBA great, Jordan, officially retired years before NBA 2K 11 released the NBA 2K curse still found its creative way to affect its cover athlete. Jordan has been the majority owner of the NBA franchise team in Charlotte since March of 2010. The Charlotte Bobcats, before rebranding themselves as the Charlotte Hornets in 2014, infamously holds the record of the worst NBA record of all time to this day. The Bobcats had only 7 wins along with 59 losses in the 2011-12 season.
Blake Griffin, Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose (NBA 2K 13)
In NBA 2K 13, three athletes were featured on the cover for the first time. Durant went onto be the cover athlete in 2015. For Griffin and Rose, it is the only time these two athletes were ever on the cover as of right now. Rose became the youngest NBA MVP in 2011 because of his relentless drive and endless scoring ability. He also had a few appearances in the NBA All-Star game leading up to NBA 2K 13. Before the release of NBA 2K 13, Rose tore his ACL and went through a long recovery process where he was able to play again but not like how he was prior to the injury as his number in steals, points, and rebounds declined. On the other hand, Griffin suffered an ankle injury after being named on the cover and his team, the Los Angeles Clippers, were unable to make the NBA finals that year.
LeBron James (NBA 2K 14)
Erza Shaw/Getty Images
James controlled the league leading up to NBA 2K 14. James had averaged 27.1 points per game, 6.3 assists per game, and 6.9 rebounds per game. His team, the Miami Heat, won back-to-back NBA championships. Following the 2013-2014 season where he lost in the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs, James went back to the Cleveland Cavaliers to fulfill his mission to give his home state a championship.
Kevin Durant (NBA 2K 15)
Harry How/Getty Images
After being named NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2014, Durant found himself as the face of NBA 2K 15. He was able to put up great numbers in his MVP season where he led the league in points, averaging 32 per game, and had a career-high in assists with averaging 5.5 per game. Durant ended the 2015-2016 season by leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder after 9 seasons and signing with the Golden State Warriors. Backlash immediately followed, however, he won two championships, along with being crowned as Finals MVP both times. In his last season with the Golden State Warriors, Durant ruptured his Achilles tendon in the 2019 NBA finals and was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. He is now fully recovered and is expected to play next season.
James Harden, Stephen Curry, and Anthony Davis (NBA 2K 16)
Davis went on to being the cover athlete for NBA 2K 20, while Curry and Harden graced the cover for 2016. After being named the cover athlete, Harden averaged 29 points per game but has struggled to give his team, the Houston Rockets, any post-season success. Curry excelled beyond the 3-point line and stunned the NBA with his scoring caliber. The curse took over the season, however, as the Golden State Warriors, Curry’s team, lost their 3-1 deficit in the NBA finals as the Cleveland Cavaliers was able to reign victorious. This was the first time an NBA team has ever come back from such a deficit in the finals.
Paul George (NBA 2K 17)
Noah Graham/Getty Images
Three-time NBA All-Star, constant All-NBA selection, and other achievements made George a perfect fit for NBA 2K 17. After the 2016-2017 season, the curse strikes again with George being traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. George averaged 36 points per game during his 2- year run before going to the Los Angeles Clippers in 2019.
Kyrie Irving (NBA 2K 18)
Getty Images
Irving became the leader of the Cleveland Cavaliers with the team earning their first NBA championship, coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the finals a year ago. His attack grew, with Irving finishing seventeenth in the league with points made, and his defense excelled dramatically as he led the team that season in steals, averaging 1.2 per game. Before NBA 2K 18 was even released in the stores, Irving was traded to the Boston Celtics where he found success with the team but not enough to win a championship during his two year-stint before going to the Brooklyn Nets.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (NBA 2K 19)
Antetokounmpo, from Athens, Greece, became the first international player to be featured on the cover of NBA 2K. The “Greek Freak” won the MVP award in 2019 as his dedication and endless skill for the game of basketball became recognized worldwide. Despite this, his team experienced a tough loss in the NBA conference finals to the eventual champions, the Toronto Raptors, 4-2. Feelings of deep frustration and disappointment ensued after the game for Antetokounmpo.
Anthony Davis (NBA 2K 20)
Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP Photo
Going into his sixth NBA All-Star game in 2019, Davis impressively averaged 25.9 points per game, 1.6 steals per game, and 12 rebounds per game. He became the defensive star for the New Orleans Pelicans as he earned third in the league with blocks, averaging 2.4 per game. The 2019-20 season ended with Davis being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers to team up with Lebron James and company.
As we look at every athlete, you can’t help but think “Is this more than just a coincidence?”. The next time we will see NBA 2K 21 stars Lillard in action will be in the 2020-21 season. Williamson is expected to play during the NBA restart in Orlando beginning on July 31, 2020.
George E. Makris can be reached at george.makris@student.shu.edu.
