Kobe Bryant NBA 2K21 cover: Lakers legend honored with “Mamba Forever” edition

Kobe Bryant as been announced as the third and final cover athlete of NBA 2K21. Lakers legend honored with the “Mamba Forever” edition. 

The company announced Kobe Bryant will serve as the third and final cover athlete for NBA 2K21, honoring the late Los Angeles Lakers legend with the “Mamba Forever” edition of the game. 

The former Los Angeles Laker, who died Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash with 13-year-old daughter Gianna, has been honored as the third cover athlete of the upcoming game.

Also Read: Why Kobe Bryant deserves to be on the NBA 2K21 cover

Kobe joins New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson(next-gen) and Portland Trail Blazers player Damian Lillard(current-gen) as the trio of cover athletes.

Kobe Bryant NBA 2K21 “Mamba Forever” edition cover athlete 

Bryant, a five-time NBA champion for the Lakers, was previously the cover athlete for NBA 2K10 and NBA 2K17. 

He will have his career and legacy celebrated in the Mamba Forever Edition of NBA 2K21. Both the current and next-gen editions will have different covers featuring Kobe. They will be dedicated to different achievements of Bryant, throughout his career. 

The current-gen version will feature artwork from his 81-point performance in 2006.

 And the next-gen edition will show Bryant waving after scoring 60 points in his final NBA game a decade later.

Also Read: Damian Lillard NBA 2K21 cover athlete: Blazers’ star announced as 1st cover star

Kobe honored as the 3rd cover athlete of the game

Alfie Brody, vice president of global marketing at NBA 2K, said of the three covers:

“Each of our cover athletes represents different eras of the game of basketball—Damian Lillard dominates the court today, Zion Williamson is a standard-bearer for the next generation of NBA superstar and what more could be said about Kobe? Three athletes representing the current, future, and storied history of the game. Today’s exciting announcement is just the first of many for NBA 2K21; it’s going to be a huge year for basketball fans and NBA 2K gamers.”

Many Basketball fans hoped the company would find a way to honor Bryant. This is indeed the perfect way to honor the Lakers legend.

Also Read: Zion Williamson NBA 2K21 cover athlete: Pelicans’ star announced as 2nd cover star

The Mamba Forever Edition will provide gamers with dual access on current and next-generation systems on either PlayStation or Xbox.

NBA 2K21 will launch worldwide on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Windows PC, and Google Stadia on Sept. 4. The game will be available on PS5 and Xbox Series X upon the respective consoles’ launch this holiday season.