Kobe Bryant honored as cover athlete for NBA 2K21

Kobe Bryant to be featured on cover of NBA 2K21

Kobe Bryant’s legacy extends far beyond all his accomplishments on the court. Kobe represents excellence, success, hard work, giving your all to a certain purpose, and having an undying will to win. It is only fitting that this legend is honored by NBA 2K21 as their cover athlete.

The popular video game will feature two covers with Kobe, one for the Current Gen Mamba Forever Edition wearing No. 8, and the second wearing No. 24 for the Next Gen Mamba Forever Edition. Damian Lillard and Zion Williamson have been selected as the other two cover athletes.

During his 20-year Los Angeles Lakers career, Kobe became more than just a basketball player, he came to represent LA, Nike, and the Mamba Mentality of being the best version of oneself. What made Kobe so transcendent was that he was unafraid to fail on and off the court and would always give genuine answers in interviews, never sugarcoating anything and being true to who he was.

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Kobe died tragically along with his daughter, Gianna Bryant, and seven others on a fateful and foggy Sunday morning on January 26th, 2020 in a helicopter crash.

Kobe was a supreme athlete that also had a supreme work ethic and mental makeup that made him just different from the rest of the players in the NBA. An athlete and human the likes of we will never see again. In his retirement life, Kobe enjoyed giving back to the next generation and empowering women’s basketball by coaching the team his daughter, Gianna Bryant, played on and inspiring players like Sabrina Ionescu to reach for greatness.

Kobe loved being a father making his death all the more tragic and deeply felt among “girl dads.”

Growing up in LA and watching Kobe grow up from a teenager to a man and win five NBA Titles for the Lakers and carry subpar teams single-handedly with his Mamba Mentality made Kobe my favorite athlete. Kobe refused to settle for mediocrity and was never satisfied to rest on his accomplishments always wanting to learn more about the game and ways he could get better.

The stories of him calling up opponents like Dwyane Wade to ask how to better attack the Boston Celtics’ defensive scheme or communicating with Michael Jordan about the intricacies of footwork in the post show that Kobe had an unrelenting desire to learn, to improve and to dominate.

Michael Jordan affectionally referred to Kobe as his “little brother” in his touching speech at Kobe’s Memorial in Staples Center. It’s great that Kobe is being honored by NBA 2K21 as his influence reaches beyond any game or statistic.

Kobe represents reaching one’s full potential and living for more than just the game of basketball. Kobe proved to also be a talented storyteller winning an Oscar for his animated short film “Dear Basketball” in 2018 and was just beginning his career in content creation developing children’s books and other content at his production company, Granity Studios.

There’s no telling what more Kobe could’ve accomplished, but he proved to be committed to teaching the younger generation and lived for a bigger purpose than just himself. Kobe was not going to be satisfied or fulfilled with just staying in the basketball world and commentating on NBA games or being in the studio like Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley.

Kobe wanted to explore avenues in media and storytelling that he wasn’t as familiar with and challenge himself to be more than just a former basketball player. Kobe is no doubt far beyond just a basketball player and his legacy will be felt forever. Kobe built Staples Center and issued in the modern era of Lakers basketball.

When purchasing NBA 2K21 make sure to get your Mamba Forever Edition in remembrance of this legend. NBA 2K21 is set to be released on September 4th, 2020.