Trail Blazers' Damian Lillard announced to be NBA 2k21 cover athlete

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard will be one of the NBA 2k21 cover athletes, 2K Games revealed Tuesday.

While Lillard was announced to be the face of the current-gen version of NBA 2k21, there will presumably be another cover star announced for next-gen versions of the game. Previously, Lillard was the cover athlete of EA Sports’ NBA Live, which may have played a major part in his getting ignored by 2k Sports. Until now.

Check out the hilarious reveal trailer.

“Being on the cover of NBA 2k is a dream come true. I’ve been playing 2k since the Dreamcast days! Hyped to be the NBA 2k21 Current-Gen Cover Athlete,” said Lillard on Twitter.

• See also:
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  • Trail Blazers’ Lillard calls out fan who questioned his presence at BLM protest
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The NBA 2k games have been the frontrunner in sports simulation since its release in 1999, sinking other developers’ attempts to maintain a hold on the market. Now in its 21st year, 2k Games and 2k Sports have a banner year ahead of them.

Being that the annual basketball sim arrives prior to the start of seasons, this fall is a big window for gamers. Current-gen gaming consoles are nearing their seventh birthday, and this holiday season marks the arrival of next-gen consoles. This makes developing a game just a bit more complicated, especially for studios that hold insanely successful franchises like NBA 2k.

You know what time it is ⌚️

— NBA 2K21 (@NBA2K) June 30, 2020

To ensure that everyone can and will play NBA 2k21, the studio is releasing a current-gen version and a next-gen version. This provides the optimal basketball experience for early adopters of new consoles and for those who wait on those big purchases.