Chicago Sky's Angel Reese named NBA 2K26 WNBA Edition cover athlete

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder) is the cover athlete for the NBA 2K26 Standard Edition. Angel Reese (Chicago Sky) features on the WNBA Edition cover, while Carmelo Anthony appears on the Superstar Edition cover. All three athletes are also showcased together on the cover of the Leave No Doubt Edition.

NBA 2K26 will be released on September 5, 2025. The Standard Edition will be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2. The other editions (WNBA, Superstar, Leave No Doubt) will be exclusive to PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S. Both the Superstar and Leave No Doubt Editions come with advanced access starting August 29.

The WNBA Edition will be a physical copy exclusively available at GameStop in the United States. Angel Reese, succeeding A'ja Wilson, called her appearance "a statement" about representation and showing young girls they can be confident and take up space. She views it as an honor reflecting her journey, veteran WNBA players, and the league's growing impact, following her standout rookie season featuring All-Rookie, All-Star selections, and leading the league in rebounding despite an early season-ending injury.

Carmelo Anthony, a 10-time NBA All-Star and 6-time All-NBA selection who played 19 seasons, was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2025. His achievements include significant contributions to the gold medal-winning 2008 U.S. Olympic team, part of his overall Olympic record of three gold medals and one bronze across four Games.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander described being on the cover as "iconic" and expressed particular excitement about collaborating with developer Visual Concepts and 2K to influence elements like player outfits ("tunnel fits") and the in-game playlist.

NBA 2K26 will feature improvements to the immersive ProPLAY features on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, alongside an overhauled MyCAREER mode. Returning modes include MyPLAYER, MyTEAM, The City, and the franchise mode MyNBA.