For the second straight year, it appears a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers has been tabbed as the cover athlete for the NBA 2K video game.
Now it just remains to be seen whether unlike Kyrie Irving, LeBron James will still be wearing wine and gold when he graces the game's cover this fall.
According to video game journalist RaSaan Harris of IRBgamer.com, James will appear on the cover of the 20th-anniversary edition of the upcoming NBA 2K19 video game. In recent years, the popular basketball franchise has released both a standard version and deluxe "Hall of Fame" edition of its game.
A year ago, then-Cavs guard Kyrie Irving was tabbed as the cover athlete for the standard version of NBA 2K18, although by the time the game was released in September, he had already been traded to the Boston Celtics. While initial prints of the game still ran with the 5-time All-Star donning a Cleveland jersey, the current version available for purchase now features Irving in his new green and white threads.
While nobody foresaw Irving's trade request a year ago, at this point, James' future with the Cavs very much remains in question. Dating back to last summer, many have speculated about the summer of 2018, in which the 4-time MVP can opt out of his contract and become a free agent.
Should James, in fact, remain in Cleveland, this would mark the first time he's appeared on a video game cover wearing a Cavs jersey. As a member of the Miami Heat in 2013, he served as the cover athlete for NBA 2K14 in what would ultimately be his final season playing for Miami.
According to the picture posted by Harris, the special edition version of NBA 2K19 is scheduled to release on Sept. 7.
