Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the cover star for the NBA 2K26 Standard Edition, but he's got good company in the form of Angel Reese and Carmelo Anthony, who will decorate the WNBA and Superstar Editions of the game. Additionally, all three athletes stand together on the Leave No Doubt Edition's cover.

2K Games also announced that NBA 2K26 will be released on Sep. 5, 2025. The NBA 2K26 Standard Edition will be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch and Nintendo Switch 2, while the other editions will be exclusive to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Both the Superstar and Leave No Doubt Edition come with advanced access, allowing owners to dive in as early as Aug. 29.

The WNBA Edition of NBA 2K26 will once again be a physical version of the game, exclusively available at GameStop in the United States. The Chicago Sky power forward succeeds two-time WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson on this special edition's cover, adding another accolade to her resume following a stellar rookie season that saw her make the All-Rookie and All-Star teams while leading the league in rebounding -- all that despite an injury ending her season early.

Reese called her appearance on the cover "a statement," saying "it's about representation and showing young girls they can be confident, bold, and take up space unapologetically. To be cemented in NBA 2K history is a special honor that reflects not only my journey, but also all the veteran WNBA players who have paved the way before me and the growing impact of the league as a whole."

Carmelo Anthony played 19 NBA seasons, being named All-Star 10 times and making the All-NBA Team six times. In 2025, he was inducted to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame to honor his achievements -- both as an individual and due to his contributions to the 2008 U.S. Olympic team, which secured the gold medal. He's participated in four Olympics for the U.S. team in total, winning gold three times and bronze once.

Gilgeous-Alexander called being on the cover "iconic", but seemed to be more thrilled about getting to work with developer Visual Concepts and 2K "to set the tone in-game from curating the tunnel fits to the playlist that players will ball to."

NBA 2K26 will feature improvements to its immersive ProPLAY features on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S as well as an overhauled MyCAREER mode. MyPLAYER, MyTEAM, and The City return alongside MyNBA, the series' franchise mode.