NBA 2K18 alternate Kyrie Irving cover officially unveiled
It will arrive at a later date.
NBA 2K has unveiled the official alternate cover of NBA 2K18. It shows NBA superstar Kyrie Irving in his new Boston Celtics uniform. It will arrive at a later date, which means launch copies of the game will still see Irving in his old Cleveland Cavaliers uniform.
The alternate cover isn't merely an edited version of the original. It depicts Irving in a completely different pose. The original cover shows Irving going for a layup. The alternate cover shows Irving celebrating, presumably after hitting a big shot. The original will likely become a sort of unofficial collector's edition, which could command a large sum of money in the future.
The reveal comes more than a month after news broke out that Irving wanted to be traded from the Cavaliers, the very team he helped win the NBA championship last year when he hit a cold-blooded three-pointer in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals.
According to reports, Irving no longer wanted to play alongside fellow superstar LeBron James in order to maximize his potential. The NBA world was rocked by the news, considering it came out of nowhere. Irving got his wish a few weeks later when he was traded to the Boston Celtics, the team the Cavaliers beat in the playoffs on the way to the 2017 NBA Finals.
In exchange for Irving, the Cavaliers received Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Ante Zizic, an unprotected 2018 first-round draft pick, and a 2020 second-round draft pick. The 2018 draft pick is considered by many as the highlight of the deal. It will arrive via the Brooklyn Nets, who sent the draft pick to Boston a few years ago in exchange for an aging Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. With the Nets in the midst of rebuilding, the draft pick is expected to be in the top 10 in the NBA draft lottery.
Fans don't have to wait long for a Celtics-Cavaliers matchup in the upcoming 2017-2018 NBA Season: the two teams face each other on the first night of the season. Bring on the fireworks.