- Primary Subject: NBA 2K27 and Cover Athlete Speculation
- Key Update: With the 2026 NBA Finals wrapped up, the debate over who lands the NBA 2K27 cover is between Finals MVP Jalen Brunson and Spurs superstar Victor Wembanyama
- Status: Opinion piece.
- Last Verified: July 8, 2026
- Quick Answer: Both players have a legitimate claim, but Brunson's Finals MVP and the weight of the Knicks' championship narrative make him the more likely pick based on how 2K has historically handled cover selections.
The NBA Finals are over. The banners raised were of the hue that sings of orange and blue, and whether you're a Knicks fan or a Spurs fan, what's clear is that it gave us two of the most compelling and debatable arguments for a video game cover for as long as I can remember.
Jalen Brunson, the Finals MVP, a 6'2" point guard who has seemingly defied all odds throughout his career, dropped 45 points to clinch Game 5 and walked off with the Bill Russell trophy.
On the other side of that coin is the future of the NBA, Victor Wembanyama, a 22-year-old, 7'4" behemoth who led his team to the finals after only spending 3 seasons in the league.
These two players fought tooth and nail and gave us one of the most thrilling NBA Finals performances that the world has seen since 2013, when Ray Allen's iconic game-saving 3-point shot ultimately led to Miami's back-to-back championship.
It's my humble opinion that one of them will end up on the NBA 2K27 cover, and I genuinely find this harder to call than I expected.
The Case for The Alien
Wemby's Finals numbers are easy to overlook when the Knicks are your opponents, but his 26 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.6 blocks per game were great numbers.
Alas, it fell short as the Spurs led through all 3 quarters for the entire Finals, but any lead that they had was wiped out come the final minutes of the 4th quarter.
But on the bright side, the Wemby era is no longer debatable because it began the moment he made Chet Holmgren look like a scrub in this year's playoffs.
The French national is this season's Defensive Player of the Year, finished third in season MVP voting, and made first-team All-NBA, in what could be many years over barring any serious injury.
What Wemby represents for NBA 2K, though, cannot be ignored. He is, today, the epitome of youth, talent, skill, and the beginning of records being broken and new ones being set.
His combination of three-point shooting, passing, court vision, and IQ has no real historical comparison. The Alien is a one-of-one in the Center position that I would bet we will never see again.
The Case for Captain Clutch
There's a reason why Jalen Brunson is nicknamed "Captain Clutch," and we have seen that in full view in this year's NBA Finals.
But more than that, Jalen Brunson has a real case for being the best Knick ever, since he delivered a championship to a city that was starved of a trophy and a ring for 53 years.
Being a veteran and battle-hardened was the true winning trait that led to this year's finals winner, as every game went to the wire, and each team's grit and doggedness were tested on a whole new level.
For NBA 2K and the matter of being a cover athlete, we could immediately point out this year's cover, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, as a good precedent.
NBA 2K26's standard edition went to the Canadian All-Star right after the OKC Thunder won the 2025 title and its Finals MVP. Brunson is in the same position, and it is very hard to argue against someone who won the Knicks a championship.
If you're going to ask me, Wembanyama is the best player in the NBA today, and he's going to be the best player next season and hopefully for years to come.
Should he grace the NBA 2K27 cover? I hope so. But the next installation of the game is going to be marketed around the postseason, and this one belongs to Jalen Brunson.
Either way, it's hard to argue for and against these two players. One can only hope for a more thrilling season and an even more breathtaking NBA Finals.
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