Add video-game cover to the list of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s accolades following a historic NBA season.
Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, Gilgeous-Alexander will be featured on the cover of NBA 2K26. The honor is the latest from a season in which Gilgeous-Alexander secured a virtual sweep of the most significant achievements in the NBA.
Gilgeous-Alexander led the league in scoring en route to securing his first MVP award. He then led the Thunder to the franchise’s first NBA championship. He was named MVP of both the Western Conference finals and the NBA Finals. He, of course, was also an All-Star starter and a first-team All-NBA selection.
When it came time to choose the cover player for the next rendition of NBA 2K, the decision was presumably a no-brainer. Gilgeous-Alexander is the easy pick.
In 76 games, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 32.7 points, 6.4 assists, five rebounds and 1.7 steals per game while shooting 51.9% from the field and 37.5% from 3. He was an advanced-metrics darling, who led the NBA in win shares per 48 minutes (.309), a statistic that’s a strong predictor of who will win MVP. Only three-time MVP Nikola Jokić was in the same class in the category (.307 win shares per 48).
Expectations in Oklahoma City will be high again next season. The Thunder are returning the young core of their championship team and will be a significant favorite to repeat as NBA champions. In betting circles, the Thunder opened Monday with a win total of 62.5 games, seven more than the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have the second-highest win total of 55.5 games.
The 62.5-game total is the highest since the 2018-19 Golden State Warriors that featured prime Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. Gilgeous-Alexander will look to add his name alongside them as a repeat NBA champion.
