Was there ever any doubt? After an incredible season in which he led the Oklahoma City Thunder to their first title since they were the Seattle Supersonics, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the cover athlete for NBA 2K26.
People started calling it the "Summer of SGA" and it undoubtedly was. He signed a 4-year, $285 million extension that will make him the highest-paid player in the league. His team won its first World Championship in its Oklahoma City era, and now, NBA 2K has acknowledged his greatness. SGA 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, and five rebounds per game, piloting the Thunder to a 68-14 record and an NBA Finals win over the Indiana Pacers.
He was only the 4th player in NBA history to win the scoring title, Finals MVP, Regular Season MVP, and a World Championship all in the same season. The previous three stars to do that were Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O' Neal, and Michael Jordan. Talk about rarefied air.
The generational run continues ⚡️
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) July 8, 2025
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is your #NBA2K26 Standard Edition Cover Athlete!
Pre-order NBA 2K26 starting tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/1pQTtWOUh2
Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton has earned some gaming cred as well, joining WWE 2K25 in its latest DLC, the Dunk and Destruction Pack. That's totally better than an NBA championship, right? The good news is that both these teams are young and should have a chance to play for a lot more championships down the road.
SGA finished the season with a 98 overall rating. I suspect the "Summer of SGA" and being the cover athlete will be more than enough to earn him that extra one point of overall rating.
The game is now available for pre-order. There's no release date yet, but NBA 2K usually launches in September.