Why the 2K23 WNBA Edition Matters for the Future
Since the NBA 2K franchise began in 1999, the idea of selecting a professional basketball player to star in the box art of each new iteration of the game has been hotly anticipated. Following Allen Iverson's five-year stint as the series' inaugural cover star, 2K has chosen a new star from the pool of the NBA's best players, past and present. From Derrick Rose to Giannis Antetokounmpo, Larry Bird to Zion Williamson, being the cover of NBA 2K's newest annual installment is high honor in the professional basketball world. It's also a proven move for 2K to sell more units — if a fan sees that their favorite basketball player is on the cover of the new game, they might be a little more willing to leave behind last year's edition and pay $70 for the new one.
In recent years, 2K has begun releasing special editions of their games, each with unique covers. They went through a brief period of selling country-specific versions of NBA 2K a couple years back, with international players starring on covers sold in their respective countries (Pau and Marc Gasol on the Spanish edition, Tony Parker on the French edition, etc.). Following the death of Kobe Bryant, 2K released a Mamba Forever edition of 2K21, in honor of the legendary Laker. Last year, the first WNBA edition came out, commemorating of the WNBA's 25-year anniversary. The edition was exclusive to GameStop, and Candace Parker starred on the box art. 2K is continuing the tradition this year by releasing a WNBA edition for 2K23. This time, WNBA legends and friends Sue Bird of the Seattle Storm and Diana Taurasi of the Phoenix Mercury will share the cover.
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