Last month during the then-anticipated PlayStation 5 showcase, Sony revealed the first look at the coming annual entry from developer Visual Concepts, NBA 2K21. In the trailer shown, we got a glimpse at the technological upgrade for the series with realistic-looking character movements and well-rendered texturing including some instances of potential raytracing as well. However, the clip shown was only pre-alpha footage of what the full game will be.

In anticipation to learn more about the game, publisher 2K yesterday shared the cover athlete for the coming installment. Announcing Damian Lillard will be the billboard athlete for the latest NBA cover. However, it was worded that Lillard would pose as the “Cover Athlete for Current Gen”, implicating there will be separate athlete for the next-generation version for NBA 2K21.

Earlier today, 2K returned on Twitter to reveal that there is in fact a next-generation cover athlete: announcing that Zion Williamson will be the showcased athlete for the version on the newer line of consoles.

It is really unique to see the game offer two versions for its box art to divide the current and next-generation of systems coming later this holiday season. The decision happens to be a unique approach as EA Sports shared Baltimore Ravens Quarterback Lamar Jackson to be cover athlete for Madden NFL 21. The same for 2K’s own PGA Tour 2K21 with Justin Thomas posed as the this year’s annual cover star.

For followers enticed to learn more about the game, 2K spared some new information by disclosing that pre-order details will be available tomorrow, July 2. In that, we will surely see the different iterations up for purchase alongside the official release date of the game aimed for the latter of 2020 this year. It currently is unsure if NBA 2K21 will offer cross-buy support as of reporting.

What cover athlete are you purchasing this year?

NBA 2K21 is listed for PlayStation 5; expected versions for PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch as well.