NBA 2K17's non-Kobe cover athlete leaks one day before announcement
2K Sports is set to officially announce the cover athlete for NBA 2K17 on June 1, but a report indicates the choice has already leaked: Paul George of the Indiana Pacers.
Find out the #NBA2K17 cover star tomorrow during our Road To The Finals Championship broadcast! 5:45 PM PST pic.twitter.com/26acL8YjLr
— NBA 2K 2K17 (@NBA2K) May 31, 2016
Paul George is the #NBA2K17 cover pic.twitter.com/LwAumiBy3E
— Scott Burress (@ExtremeGamer) May 31, 2016
It appears as if George will join recently retired Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, who will be on the cover of a special legend edition of the popular video game, as the franchise's two cover athletes for the 2016-17 season.
George might not be the first star that comes to mind when picking an NBA 2K cover athlete (though he appeared on the cover of MyNBA2K16, 2K Sports' mobile version of NBA 2K), but he's certainly deserving.
After suffering a brutal leg injury during a Team USA exhibition game a couple months before the 2014-15 season, George returned in 2015-16 as his elite, two-way self and led a mediocre Pacers roster to the seventh-seed in a surprisingly deep Eastern Conference (for what it's worth, the Pacers were in contention for home-court advantage for over half the season). Despite an obvious talent disparity, the Pacers pushed the No. 2-seeded Toronto Raptors to seven games in the first round, and nearly stole the series.
Notwithstanding Bryant's farewell tour and Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors' historic dominance, George's return to stardom and relevance was arguably the best and most inspiring story of the season.
In addition, there wasn't really another great alternative.
When comparing those options to George, it seems like 2K Sports made the right decision.