Ronnie 2K outlines 3 key traits players need to land NBA2K cover

Earning a coveted spot on the NBA2K cover firmly establishes a player as one of the league's superstars. The basketball video game that is developed by Visual Concepts is extremely popular among basketball fans and gamers around the globe, and the franchise has loyal, dedicated and vast group of followers.

Per a recent piece from journalist Clemente Almanza on okcthunderwire.com, Ronnie 2K, the face of the popular basketball video game, revealed the three traits an NBA player needs to possess to be in consideration for the prestigious NBA2K cover. Ronnie 2K listed the following three points:

"Are you on the upward trajectory? He absolutely is between him and the team."

"Can we link into the story we're trying to tell as a brand? It depends on year to year what we're trying to solve. Whether it's the game features or our marketing message. Which athlete kinda links best with that."

"And then finally, is it authentic? And what I mean by that is, do they play the game? Are they competitive in the game? Did they talk about it? Do they want to contribute something beyond just gameplay?"

Ronnie 2K's points show that working your way to becoming a cover athlete is about more than just statistics and putting in big performances on the court. Off court factors like marketability and what players are willing contribute to the game are also key points to consider.

For the 2025 version of NBA2K, Boston Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum was named the cover athelete for the standard edition. The All-Star edition of the game will feature the Celtics forward alongside WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson. Vince Carter was selected as the cover athlete for the NBA 2K25 Hall of Fame edition.

Over the last three decades, legends like Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Steph Curry, LeBron James and Allen Iverson are a few of the players who had the honor of being on the NBA2K cover.

Ronnie 2K calls NBA2K player ratings "sacred" and insists he would never takes bribes to boost figures

Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo look on at TD Garden. Photo Credit: Imagn

NBA2K player ratings have become a status symbol among NBA players and it is natural that every year players grumble and call out the popular game for what they consider to be low numbers.

During an interview with TMZ Sports earlier this month, Ronnie 2K spoke about players looking to gain a slight bump to their grading:

"I have had all the bribe requests in the world. But those ratings are too sacred, I ain't changing [them]."

NBA 2K has extensive data and historical records of all the players out there and usually get it right when is comes to evaluating and ranking players. However, there will always be a few professional players who feel their numbers aren't in line with their performances.