It’s official. Victor Wembanyama, Caitlin Clark and Derrick Rose are the cover athletes for NBA 2K27 . For Indiana Fever superstar Clark in particular, though, it is a landmark achievement as she becomes the first WNBA athlete to have her own solo cover that will be distributed globally.Victor Wembanyama, Caitlin Clark and Derrick Rose are the cover athletes for NBA 2K27.NBA 2KIt’s a fitting achievement for a player who has taken the league by storm and is widely considered the face of the league as she sits halfway through her third season in the W.As has become the norm over the past few years, NBA 2K27 will arrive in three global formats – the Standard Edition, the Deluxe Edition, and the limited-time Ultra Edition. Having graced the cover as an NBA champion and MVP winner, 2K26 Standard Edition cover athlete Shai Gilgeous-Alexander now makes way for one of the fastest-rising superstars in the entire Association in Wembanyama.Three-time WNBA All-Star Clark dons the front of the Deluxe Edition, which also sees her become the first ever Fever player to be on the cover.The Ultra Edition pays homage to one of the legends of the game in three-time All-Star Rose, who remains to this day the youngest MVP award winner in NBA history, but whose career was ultimately marred by a plethora of long-term injuries, though he showed relentless grit and determination to continue to fight his way back from. “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,” Zak Armitage, SVP & GM of NBA 2K, said. “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. “None of them have an off switch, and that same relentless drive is what defines NBA 2K27.”Basketball’s extraterrestrialUnanimous Defensive Player of the Year winner Wembanyama may have lost to Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks in the 2026 NBA Finals, but his impact on the game of basketball since his arrival into the league in 2023 has been seismic.Wembanyama has taken over the NBA since his arrival as the No. 1 overall pick in 2023NBA 2KThe 7-foot-6 Frenchman is the first international player since Luka Doncic and Dirk Nowitzki (2K22 to be on the coverNBA 2K“When you’re truly obsessed with basketball, the game doesn’t stop when you leave the arena,” the 7-foot-6 French phenom 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.”Still only 22-years-old, Wembanyama is already hailed as one of the best players in the league today, having posted career averages of 23.4 points, 11.0 rebounds and 3.5 steals per game across the past three seasons. It is expected that ‘the alien’ will only continue to get better as he enters his prime, giving San Antonio Spurs fans renewed belief that another dynasty is on its way to Texas – despite defeat in the NBA Finals this year.Lights, Camera, CaitlinFor a young player who has entirely transformed the landscape of the WNBA in terms of its popularity, viewership, and merchandise sales, it seems only fitting that Clark would be the one to make history for 2K’s flagship video game. “Being on the cover of NBA 2K27 is special because this game reaches fans all over the world,” the 24-year-old said. Clark is the first WNBA athlete to have her own solo global coverNBA 2KClark is also the first Indiana Fever player to be featured on the coverNBA 2K“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.”Candace Parker was the first female athlete to grace the cover of NBA 2K back in 2022 to mark the WNBA’s 25th anniversary, though this edition of the game has only been available in the North American market. Then followed two icons with just the seven WNBA championships between them in Diana Taurasi and Sue Bird for NBA 2K23, while Sabrina Ionescu, considered one of the league’s purest three-point shooters, took her place on the cover for NBA 2K24. For the 2025 edition, not only was four-time MVP A’ja Wilson the WNBA Edition cover athlete, but she also shared the NBA 2K25 Deluxe Edition cover with Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum that was used globally. In 2026, NBA 2K reverted back to featuring a female athlete on their WNBA Edition cover with rising star and Clark’s collegiate rival Angel Reese. Reese did, however, feature alongside other cover athletes Gilgeous-Alexander and Basketball Hall of Famer Carmelo Anthony on a special ‘Leave No Doubt Edition’. A Rose that never wiltedThe addition of Rose being chosen to front the limited-time Ultra Edition is a testament to the point guard’s sheer resilience to never give up. The former first overall pick by the Chicago Bulls had many believing he would ignite a Bulls team that had been fairly mediocre since the departure of arguably the greatest player of all time in Michael Jordan.Derrick Rose’s rise to stardom for the Chicago Bulls is immortalizedNBA 2KRose’s cover celebrates his unwillingness to give up in the face of adversityNBA 2KThroughout the early stages of his career, Rose was unstoppable with this violent athleticism with the combination of top-end speed, lateral agility and extreme 40-plus vertical that very few in the league could match. This made him an absolute nightmare to guard. Even some of his era’s greatest defenders struggled, except for perhaps LeBron James. He was actually named one of the three cover athletes for NBA 2K13, alongside Blake Griffin and Kevin Durant, one season after he became the youngest player to win the league’s coveted MVP award, doing so at 22 years and 7 months old. While several serious leg and knee injuries ultimately plagued his career, Rose’s most memorable moment in his twilight years was his 50 point outing against the Utah Jazz when playing the Minnesota Timberwolves under his former Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. Emotions took over the then-30-year-old entirely, bursting into tears after the final buzzer sounded with the crowd serenading him with chants of “M-V-P!” – a true full circle moment for a player that had demonstrated such resilience in his career. For Rose, whose No. 1 jersey was retired by Chicago back in January, being on the cover is just another opportunity to inspire others.“It’s crazy looking back at being on the NBA 2K13 cover to now having my own edition for NBA 2K27,” he said. “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.”NEW YEAR, NEW EDITIONNBA 2K27 launches on September 4, 2026. Standard Edition featuring Victor Wembanyama – £59.99 – available on PS5, XBOX Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.Deluxe Edition featuring Caitlin Clark – £89.99 – available on PS5, XBOX Series X|S, and PC.This edition includes 100,000 VC; MyCAREER content (25x 6 Types of Skill Boosts, 25x 3 Types of Gatorade Boosts, Victor Wembanyama Jersey, Caitlin Clark Jersey, and a 2HR 2XP Coin (MyCAREER)); and MyTEAM content (Full ’27: Series 1 Team Selection, Triple Threat Park Free Agent Pack, 5x ’27: Series 1 Packs, and a 2HR 2XP Coin (MyTEAM)). Includes Early Access starting on August 28, 2026, up to one week before worldwide release.Ultra Edition celebrating Derrick Rose – £129.99 – available on PS5, XBOX Series X|S, and PC. Includes everything in the Deluxe Edition plus an additional 35,000 VC, a Season 1 Pro Pass, and the Summer Season Pass Pro Pass Bundle (Seasons 7–9 Pro Pass, releasing in Summer 2027); the Roses Oversize Hoodie in MyCAREER; Premium SKU MyTEAM Player Cards, which includes a guaranteed 98 OVR card (December 2026) and a guaranteed Invincible card (May 2027). NBA 2K26 players who pre-order NBA 2K27 Ultra Edition on the same platform will receive a 10% discount******. Includes Early Access beginning August 28, 2026.Stay up to date on all things NBA and WNBA across our talkSPORT platforms – subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest news, opinion, exclusive interviews and our daily unfiltered, unscripted show ‘The S* Word, from 8am ET.