We’re already deep in the NBA 2025-2026 season, and several months away from NBA 2K’s annual release in September, so it’s time to start thinking about the cover athlete for NBA 2K27.
The annually-released basketball game gives pride of place to one of the NBA’s (or WNBA’s) biggest stars each year, highlighting their impact on the league, the game, and the overall culture of the NBA. But who will it be this year?
At the time of writing Kalshi predictors have a clear favorite: Victor Wembanyama. The French seven-footer has had a huge influence on the league since his debut and the 2025-2026 season has the potential to be one of his best performances. So are Kalshi correct? Will Wemby grace the front of NBA 2K7? Let’s dive in.
Before we dive into the options, it’s important to define what the cover athlete is. NBA 2K has released multiple covers for several years now. With the growth and promotion of the NBA and WNBA, there have actually been multiple cover athletes for most recent editions.
Image Credit: Kalshi
For example, for NBA 2K26 Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Angel Reese as cover athletes, as well as a Carmelo Anthony Superstar Edition cover, and all three athletes as well as other stars on a Leave No Doubt Edition.
For the Kalshi market “Who will be on the cover of NBA 2K27” the specification of the market resolution is that the selected player/athlete is the “main global cover athlete for NBA 2K27 before Jan 1, 2027 at 10:00 AM ET, then the market resolves to Yes. Outcome verified from 2K Sports.”
The ‘main global cover athlete’ is the athlete on the base version of the game, and typically not a WNBA player or a past superstar. For instance, for 2K26, this would have been Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
With that established, the front runner is currently Victor Wembayama, as mentioned, with 64% saying Yes at a $0.65 price. He’s trailed by Anthony Edwards, Nikola Jokić, Steph Curry, and Lebron James. Here’s the current list of players with a Yes vote percentage:
Carmelo Anthony was 2k26’s superstar cover athlete, but not the main star. Image credit: 2k
We think it’s probably a good bet that LeBron, Curry, Gilgeous-Alexander will not be making the primary cover. While they’re all stars, their lack of major production in 2025-2026 and the tendency of the 2K games to prioritize up-and-coming stars versus talented all-star journeymen.
With that in mind, the Wembanyama or Edwards pick seem like better markets. With a total market volume of $15,500+ at the time of writing, we think investing either in a Yes or No for Wembayama could be good bet, with the No being the better value. With such an even split, buying the market now.
The announcement of the 2K athlete usually happens in around June/July, with photography for the player done around May. They take photos of dozens of athletes so it’s rare for leaks to happen. So we’d have to say invest early, and then see how the Spurs and Timberwolves do in the playoffs. If the Wolves miss the playoffs, it’s likely Wemby will clear Edwards for the cover spot.
Feature Image Credit: 2K
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