HHW Gaming: Kobe Bryant Immortalized On ‘NBA 2K1 Mamba Forever Edition’ Cover

No surprise, the late Kobe Bryant is the third cover athlete for NBA 2K21.

Follow the announcements of covering NBA 2K21’s current-generation game and taking the basketball game into next-generation of gaming this news is fitting. Today (Jul.2), NBA 2K announced it would honor Kobe Bean Bryant with a ‘Mamba Forever Edition’, which is a change from the usual ‘Legend Edition’ for both current and next-gen consoles. This will be the third time the Black Mamba has been on the cover of the insanely-popular basketball video game franchise.

Like the previous two NBA 2K21 cover announcements, the reveal took place on the game’s new TikTok account and was featured a touching video of the artist creating the two covers.

Alfie Brody, Vice President of Global Marketing at NBA 2K broke down each of NBA 2K21’s three covers stating:

“Each of our cover athletes represents different eras of the game of basketball – Damian Lillard dominates the court today, Zion Williamson is a standard-bearer for the next generation of NBA superstar and what more could be said about Kobe? Three athletes representing the current, future, and storied history of the game. Today’s exciting announcement is just the first of many for NBA 2K21; it’s going to be a huge year for basketball fans and NBA 2K gamers.”

The two covers feature two iconic Kobe moments from his storied career. The current-generation cover features Bryant rocking the no.8 jersey, and the and version of NBA 2K21 cover (pictured above) features the Lakers legend wearing the no.24 on the night of his final game.

Per NBA 2K:

“For NBA 2K21, Legend Edition is replaced by the Mamba Forever Edition, celebrating Kobe Bryant’s lifelong pursuit of victory and legacy in the sport of basketball. For many fans, Kobe’s achievements on the court and love for the game had tremendous impact around the world, and his list of awards and accolades is intensive: five-time NBA champion, 18-time NBA All-Star, two-time NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, 2008 NBA MVP, 11-time All-NBA First Team, 9-time NBA All-Defensive First Team, two-time NBA Scoring Champion, 2008 and 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist, the all-time leading scorer for the Los Angeles Lakers and much more. Kobe was the cover athlete for NBA 2K10, the Legend Edition of NBA 2K17 and is immortalized in the NBA 2K21 Mamba Forever Edition with unique custom covers for both current generation and next-generation versions of the game that honor the span of his career, from his days wearing No. 8 and scoring 81 points to scoring 60 points wearing No. 24 the night of his final NBA game.”

Along with the announcement of the Kobe Bryant covers, pricing and other important details were revealed. NBA 2K21’s standard and Mamba Forever Edition will cost  $59.99 on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Google Stadia, and PC.

The PS5 and Xbox Series X version of the game will cost $69.99. A $99.99 NBA 2K21 Mamba Forever Edition will be available for both generations of consoles.

If you purchase the Mamba Forever Edition, you will be able to upgrade from your current console own to its next-gen counterpart for free. Unfortunately, those who buy the standard editions of NBA 2K21 will have to pay an additional $10 to make the jump. NBA 2K21 will now feature MyTEAM Cross-Progression and a Shared VC Wallet within the same console family (PS4 to PS5, Xbox One to Xbox Series X).

For more details and to preorder all versions of the game, you can head here.

As expected, fans are very pleased that NBA 2K listened to its passionate community of players and selected Kobe to grace the cover of NBA 2K21.

You can see more reactions to NBA 2K21’s Mamba Forever Edition and release details below.

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Photo: 2K / NBA 2K21