NBA Most Valuable Player? Check. NBA Champion? Check. NBA Finals MVP? Check. And now the cover of NBA 2K26? Check. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will become the first Canadian to grace the cover of the popular video game NBA 2K as he will be the cover athlete for NBA 2K26, which is set to release in September of 2025 (no confirmed date yet).
SGA has had one of the best seasons possible a player could have as he’s racked up accolade after accolade, and this adds just another accomplishment to his resume. After averaging a career high of 32.7 points and 6.4 assists per game, he was finally able to win his first MVP award. He finished in the First All-NBA Team for the third consecutive season, along with his third consecutive All-Star appearance.
In the playoffs, his numbers obviously dipped a bit as the competition got harder as OKC progressed in the playoffs, but he was able to achieve the greatest accomplishment of them all in the NBA, winning the Larry O’Brien Championship Trophy. It was the first championship for Oklahoma, as the franchise previously won just one championship back in Seattle all the way back in 1979. SGA completed the dream season as he also took home the finals MVP after averaging 30.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game over the seven-game series against the Indiana Pacers.
The popular gaming franchise, NBA 2K, started back on November 11, 1999 and has been releasing a new game every year with a new (usually) cover athlete. There have been 22 athletes on the cover of 2K (standard edition), sometimes having as many as three athletes on the cover at one time. SGA will become the 23rd unique cover athlete and the first Canadian to receive the honours.
