Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turned the NBA on its head last season — now he’s the face of its most iconic video game.
The Oklahoma City Thunder star was unveiled Tuesday as the cover athlete for the Standard Edition of NBA 2K26, following one of the most dominant and decorated individual seasons in recent league history.
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!
Set for release on September 5, Gilgeous-Alexander becomes just the second player to appear on the NBA 2K cover in a Thunder uniform, joining Kevin Durant, who was featured on NBA 2K13 and 2K15.
Official @NBA2K cover #NBA2K15 #YourTimeHasCome
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) July 15, 2014
Gilgeous-Alexander led the league in scoring at 32.7 points per game during the regular season, becoming the third player in franchise history to claim the league's MVP honors.
He also earned his third consecutive All-Star selection and All-NBA First Team honor while guiding Oklahoma City to a franchise- and league-best 68 wins.
The 26-year-old capped off his historic campaign with a commanding Finals performance, averaging 29.9 points, 6.5 assists, and 5.3 rebounds to lead the Thunder to their first-ever title against the Indiana Pacers in a in a grueling seven-game series.
Earlier, SGA signed a record-breaking extension to remain in Oklahoma City that would give him the highest single-season average salary in league history.
[ALSO READ: MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander signs historic four-year, $285-M supermax extension—reports]
Last season, Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum was featured on the Standard Edition cover of the NBA2K video game series.
[ALSO READ: Jayson Tatum, A’Ja Wilson, Vince Carter announced as NBA 2K25 cover athletes]
