NBA 2K26 Cover Athlete is Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

ESPN Senior NBA Insider Shams Charania shared that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will be the cover athlete for the Standard Edition of NBA 2K26.

Shortly after the report, 2K made it official by revealing the cover and announcing that pre-orders will go live tomorrow, July 9.

Last year 2K rolled out its NBA 2K25 cover athletes on July 10 unveiling the Standard, All-Star, Hall of Fame and WNBA Editions. The team followed that up with a trailer, gameplay details and a full schedule of news drops on August 1. If that pattern holds, fans can expect a similar rollout for NBA 2K26 starting tomorrow and in the weeks ahead.