Kobe Bryant has been announced as a cover athlete for NBA 2K21.

The late Los Angeles Lakers star will grace the front of the current and next-gen Mamba Forever editions of the game.

He is the third cover athlete that NBA 2K has announced, along with Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard and New Orleans Pelicans phenom Zion Williamson. Lillard, whose cover was revealed Tuesday, is the current generation cover athlete and will appear on PS4 and Xbox One editions of the game. Williamson, the next-gen cover athlete, had his cover announced Wednesday and will be seen on the PS5 and Xbox Series X editions. A date for the game's release has not been announced.

Bryant was also the cover athlete for NBA 2K10 and the Legend edition for NBA 2K17.

Bryant and his daughter Gianna died along with seven others in a helicopter crash in January. He retired in 2016 after a 20-year career with the Lakers, finishing his career with five NBA championships, two NBA Finals MVP awards, 18 NBA All-Star game appearances and 33,643 points, fourth in NBA history.

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