2K announced the three cover athletes for NBA 2K27 on July 22. Victor Wembanyama fronts the Standard Edition, Caitlin Clark fronts the Deluxe Edition, and Derrick Rose fronts the Ultra Edition.
In a video published by the game’s makers, Wembanyama sat with NBA 2K digital marketing director Ronnie Singh and went through each of the three covers. Singh brought up Clark’s.
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“No, it’s great. It’s great. I mean, she definitely deserves to be on there. Big inspiration for me. Of course, you know, her status as the number one pick, the way she changes the game as well. I’ve always shown some respect and inspiration for people who break the rules in some way,” Wembanyama said.
Clark is the first WNBA player to appear by herself on a global premium NBA 2K cover. Six others had appeared on covers before her, each on a WNBA-branded edition: Candace Parker on NBA 2K22, Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird on NBA 2K23, Sabrina Ionescu on NBA 2K24, A’ja Wilson on NBA 2K25, and Angel Reese on NBA 2K26.
Wembanyama is the first San Antonio Spurs player to be featured on an NBA 2K cover. The photo on the Standard Edition comes from his game-winner against Phoenix in March.
This was not the first time Wembanyama has been asked about Clark. At Spurs media day in September 2024, he named her when a reporter asked which WNBA player inspired him, and said she was the most impressive college player he had watched in either the men’s or women’s game.
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Clark was the first overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft and won Rookie of the Year that season. Through 22 games this year, she is averaging 20.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 7.8 assists on 42.8% shooting from the field, 33.3% from 3-point range, and 85.8% from the free-throw line.
Against Seattle on July 18, Clark scored a franchise-record 45 points and handed out 10 assists in a 110-107 win. That was the first 40-point, 10-assist game in league history.
Four days later, in Indiana‘s last game before the break, the Fever beat Connecticut 123-88 and put up a franchise-record 70 points in the first half. Clark had 21 points and 7 assists at halftime. Kelsey Mitchell finished with 16 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists, and Aliyah Boston finished with 13 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Indiana entered the All-Star break at 17-10.
Clark played in the AT&T WNBA All-Star Game on July 25 at the United Center in Chicago, a year after missing the game in Indianapolis with an injury. She scored 17 points on 6-of-17 shooting and 5-of-15 from 3-point range, with 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal in 21 minutes. Eleven of those points came in the first quarter.
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Team Spoon beat Team Coop 129-122. Jonquel Jones was named MVP with 22 points, 13 rebounds, and 8 assists. Mitchell led all scorers with 28 points for Team Coop. Dominique Malonga dunked in the second quarter off a pass from Angel Reese, the seventh dunk in All-Star Game history. The announced crowd of 19,783 was a record for the game.
Wembanyama’s season ended in June with San Antonio in the NBA Finals. He was voted Defensive Player of the Year unanimously, the first player to receive every vote for the award, and he averaged 23.8 points, 10.9 rebounds, and 3.5 assists across the 2026 playoffs.
Rose is a 2K cover athlete for the second time. He appeared on NBA 2K13 during his years in Chicago.
NBA 2K27 releases worldwide Sept. 4 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam, and Nintendo Switch 2. Early access begins Aug. 28 for anyone who buys the Deluxe or Ultra Edition. The Standard Edition is priced at $69.99, the Deluxe Edition at $99.99, and the Ultra Edition at $149.99, with the Ultra available through Sept. 6. A gameplay trailer is scheduled for Tuesday.
Indiana opens a three-game road trip against the Storm on Tuesday at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle. The Fever play at Portland on July 31 and at Minnesota on Aug. 2.
