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After winning an NBA MVP, a Western Conference Finals MVP, an NBA championship trophy, and an NBA Finals MVP, Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has been named the cover athlete for the all new NBA 2K26, which launches this fall. NBA 2K made the news official on Tuesday afternoon.
The Thunder star joins a list of the biggest global NBA stars to be named a cover athlete:
- Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum was the cover athlete for NBA 2K25.
- Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was the cover athlete for NBA 2K24.
- Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker was the cover athlete for NBA 2K23.
- Los Angeles Lakers star (then-Dallas Mavericks star) Luka Doncic was the cover athlete for NBA 2K22.
- Then-Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard was the cover athlete for NBA 2K21.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's magical season
The Thunder's star guard finished NBA 2K25 with a 98 overall rating, tied with Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic and Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo for the top overall rating.
Gilgeous-Alexander started the season as a 96 overall, which was the fourth-best rating in the game behind Jokic (97), Antetokounmpo (97), and Luka Doncic (97)
The 2024-25 season was a historic one for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Thunder star was the league's leading scorer, averaging 32.7 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists, 1.7 steals, and a block per game while shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three.
According to Stathead, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the only player in NBA history to average 32+ points, 5+ rebounds, 6+ assists, 1+ steal, and 1+ block per game over a season.
Earlier this week, Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder reportedly agreed to terms on a four-year, $285 million contract extension.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is now on the books for six years at approximately $346 million. According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, Gilgeous-Alexander is set to earn around $63.52 million in the first year of the extension in 2027-28 and will earn around $78.77 million in the 2030-31 season.
That means Gilgeous-Alexander will earn nearly a million dollars per game played and will be 32 years of age at the end of the 2030-31 season, the final year on that deal.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander breakdown
Including his current and new extension, $364M in salary over the next 6 years. pic.twitter.com/OCwBu2aOYK
— Bobby Marks (@BobbyMarks42) July 1, 2025
Additionally, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Converse announced the SHAI 001's in February, and they're set to release this fall. The cover features Gilgeous-Alexander wearing his signature shoe.
Gilgeous-Alexander became the 11th player in NBA history to win both an NBA regular season MVP and an NBA Finals MVP in the same season.
In recent years, NBA 2K has released special edition covers with different cover athletes, like a “Legends Edition” and a “WNBA Edition.” While it remains to be seen who those cover athletes will be, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is confirmed as the first cover athlete for the NBA 2K26 video game.
