(VIDEO) San Antonio's Victor Wembanyama, Caitlin Clark and Legend Derrick Rose Named NBA 2K27 Cover Stars

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark and Chicago Bulls legend Derrick Rose were unveiled Wednesday as the cover athletes for "NBA 2K27," the latest edition of the long-running basketball video game franchise developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K.

The three players will each headline a different version of the game: Wembanyama on the Standard Edition, Clark on the Deluxe Edition and Rose on the limited-availability Ultra Edition. "NBA 2K27" is set to launch worldwide Sept. 4 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC via Steam and Nintendo Switch 2, with early access beginning Aug. 28 for players who purchase the Deluxe or Ultra editions.

A trio of history-makers

Each of the three athletes brings a notable first or milestone to this year's cover. Wembanyama becomes the first San Antonio Spurs player ever featured on an NBA 2K cover. Clark becomes the first WNBA player to headline her own global premium cover for the franchise, following past WNBA stars such as Angel Reese, A'ja Wilson, Sabrina Ionescu, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi and Candace Parker, who have appeared on special edition or alternate covers in previous years. Rose, meanwhile, becomes a two-time "2K" cover athlete, having previously appeared on the cover of "NBA 2K13."

Zak Armitage, senior vice president and general manager of NBA 2K, framed the selection around a shared competitive drive among the three players. "Victor Wembanyama, Caitlin Clark, and Derrick Rose each come from different worlds, but they share the same obsession that has altered the trajectory of the game," Armitage said in a news release. "Wembanyama has broken the mold for what a big man can be and keeps breaking it. Clark is pulling up from the logo, not just redefining what range looks like, but the women's game entirely. And Rose changed what it meant to be a point guard — explosive, physical, unstoppable — and when faced with setbacks, his hunger for the game is what brought him back."

What each player brings to the cover

Wembanyama, 22, enters his fourth NBA season coming off a year in which he became the first unanimous winner of the league's Defensive Player of the Year award. He averaged 23.8 points, 10.9 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game across the 2026 playoffs as San Antonio advanced to the NBA Finals. In a statement, Wembanyama connected the honor to his relationship with the game itself. "When you're truly obsessed with basketball, the game doesn't stop when you leave the arena," Wembanyama said. "NBA 2K is the court that never locks up, it's always open whether you're in Paris or San Antonio. It's how you study the game, sharpen your IQ, and live basketball 24/7. To be the face of a game that fuels that hunger for hoops and whose covers immortalize the all-time greats, that's a dream come true for me."

Clark, in her third WNBA season, is currently averaging 20.7 points and 7.8 assists per game for the Fever, who are tied for first place in the Eastern Conference heading into WNBA All-Star Weekend. She holds the all-time NCAA Division I scoring record for both men's and women's basketball. "Being on the cover of NBA 2K27 is special because this game reaches fans all over the world," Clark said. "To be the first WNBA player on her own global cover means women's basketball gets to show up on that stage too, and I am proud to be part of that."

Rose, a former No. 1 overall pick whose number was retired by the Bulls this past January, remains the youngest MVP in NBA history. Reflecting on his return to the cover more than a decade after his first appearance, Rose said, "It's crazy looking back at being on the NBA 2K13 cover to now having my own edition for NBA 2K27. During my journey there have been coaches who believed in me, teammates who made me better, and fans who showed up louder than I ever expected. So, this is a chance to inspire young athletes to stay obsessed with the game. To show them that when you put in the countless hours of hard work, it rewards you."

A shared thread among the three

Beyond their individual accomplishments, the three cover athletes share a specific distinction: each was selected with the No. 1 overall pick in his or her respective draft, and each went on to win their league's Rookie of the Year award.

Pricing and pre-order details

The Standard Edition of "NBA 2K27" is priced at $69.99, the Deluxe Edition at $99.99, and the Ultra Edition at $149.99, with the Ultra Edition available for a limited window through Sept. 6. Pre-orders are live now on the official NBA 2K website, with early pre-order incentives available for Deluxe and Ultra Edition buyers through Aug. 17, including bonus virtual currency and in-game content. A first look at "NBA 2K27" gameplay is scheduled to be revealed in an official trailer next Tuesday, July 28.

Continuing a long-running tradition

The reveal continues a yearly tradition for the NBA 2K franchise, which has featured a rotating lineup of NBA and WNBA stars and legends on its covers in recent years, including Jayson Tatum, A'ja Wilson and Vince Carter on "NBA 2K25," and Luka Doncic, Kevin Durant and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar on a past anniversary edition of the series. With Wembanyama, Clark and Rose now set to headline this year's release, "NBA 2K27" arrives with a cover lineup spanning three different eras and levels of the sport, from an active generational NBA talent and a rising WNBA superstar to a franchise legend making his second appearance on the game's cover more than a decade after his first.