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Zion Williamson is a cover athlete for NBA 2K21, but is it too soon for that?
Zion Williamson has played a grand total of 19 NBA games for the New Orleans Pelicans. He’s an almost-20-year-old rookie who’s missed most of his first season due to injury, and he missed a fair chunk of time at Duke as well.
Normally, a player would probably have to play more than 19 games in the pros and 33 games in college before being graced with the cover of an NBA 2K game — even now, when there will be three cover athletes for NBA 2K21.
However, before everyone starts (read: continues) losing their minds over the fact that Zion Williamson is the cover athlete for the next-gen versions of NBA 2K21, let’s all take a step back and realize there are extenuating circumstances in play here.
For starters, can we all stop acting like he’s the only one being picked for this distinct honor? Damian Lillard was announced as a first-time cover athlete for current-gen consoles yesterday, and there’s still an announcement coming on Thursday for the third and final cover athlete for NBA 2K21.
Another popular complaint is that someone like Michael Jordan played 1,072 games before his first NBA 2K cover, or that young contemporaries who have proven more in the league thus far deserve it more, like Luka Doncic or Trae Young. Those are valid gripes, but if NBA 2K is going to keep having multiple cover athletes every year, it won’t be long before every budding star in this league gets his shine.
Finally, pretending like Zion Williamson is not already a major marketing tool and lightning rod basketball presence is sheer negligence. So you’re telling me when you first picked up NBA 2K20, you weren’t playing as rookie Zion within the first 3-4 games? Or that he wasn’t dynamic enough in his first 19 NBA games to capture the entire country’s attention each and every time he took the court?
Just because Zion is joining the likes of MJ, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn’t mean he’s in that same league yet as a basketball player. Obviously he doesn’t have the body of work to be considered for Rookie of the Year, let alone accolades like All-Star or All-NBA honors. But in terms of hype, potential and being a household name? He’s already in that same group, and it’s stupid to pretend otherwise.
Isn’t that the whole point of a basketball video game anyway? To suspend belief for 20 minutes and make incredible things happen while in control of your favorite players? There are few superstars in this league that belong higher on that likability list than Zion right now, and even if it feels premature to give him such a distinct honor given his limited and injury-riddled NBA resume, every second he’s on the floor feels like unmissable television.
Bearing all that in mind, it’s more than okay for NBA 2K to feel the urge to capitalize on that widespread sentiment and appreciation for Zion with a cover athlete who’s a marketing magnet, unstoppable brand and young star on the path to greatness.