NBA fans expressed their frustrations upon learning that SGA had landed the NBA 2K cover.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander's NBA 2K Cover Announcement Gets Slammed By Fans originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
No NBA player had a more impressive season than Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The 6-foot-6, 195-pound star took home almost all the significant hardware after leading his franchise to its first-ever title.
SGA was an All-Star and All-NBA First Team for the third straight season. Gilgeous-Alexander joined Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'Neal as the fourth player in league history to win an NBA championship, MVP, Finals MVP, while also leading the league in scoring.
To cap it off, on Tuesday, NBA 2K26, scheduled for a Sept. 5 release, announced the OKC superstar will be the cover athlete for this year's game.
Summer of SGA: MVP award, league scoring title, an NBA championship, Finals MVP, a $285 million super max extension, first signature shoe release ... and now Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will grace the new cover of NBA 2K26, per sources.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 8, 2025
NBA fans shared their frustrations on social media with the decision.
"WE WANTED ANT," commented one fan.
"INCOMING 2K COVER ATHLETE CURSE," said another.
"i wonder how much vc i'd have to buy to shoot some free throws," a fan said.
"Streets want ANT not FlopGA," replied another.
"Will he be shooting a free throw on the cover?" Joked one fan.
"Dude is so unmarketable and boring. Great player but if he's the 'face of the NBA,' the NBA is in trouble," another fan said.
"So this is what it's like being on the other side of a Shams tweet. smh," read a reply from 2K that received nearly 2,000 likes.
Another example of how everything is going SGA's way is the pending arrival of his new sneakers. The Converse Shai 001, SGA's first signature shoe, is scheduled for release this fall.
On July 1, Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder agreed to a record contract worth $285 million over four years.
Released annually since 1999, NBA 2K's cover has featured a who's who of the sport's biggest stars, including Jayson Tatum, Kobe Bryant, Devin Booker, Luka Doncic, Zion Williamson, Damian Lillard and many more.
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This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 8, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Basketball
