Jayson Tatum lands on cover of NBA 2K25

BOSTON — Jayson Tatum has taken another step toward becoming the face of the NBA. Weeks after winning his first NBA championship and signing the league’s richest contract, Tatum is now the cover athlete for NBA 2K25.

Tatum will grace the standard edition of this year’s game, which was announced Wednesday. 

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The Celtics star also shares the cover of the “All-Star Edition” with Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson, who has her own cover on the “WNBA Edition.” NBA legend Vince Carter will appear on the “Hall of Fame Edition,” which features a picture of Carter mid-flight during the 2000 NBA Dunk Contest. 

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“It’s an honor to be named a cover athlete for NBA 2K25,” Tatum said in a release. “I’ve been playing NBA 2K since I was a kid, and it’s been a dream to one day be on the cover. Even after coming off an NBA Championship, it’s humbling to see this come to life.” 

During an interview on The Old Man & The Three podcast on Wednesday, Tatum said that he found out that he would be on the cover back in March on his birthday. His young son, Deuce, gave him a bag from the 2K company with the game and a letter congratulating him for being on the cover, which started some waterworks for Tatum.

“I actually got teary eyed and cried a bit. I feel I’m very blessed and fortunate because when I was younger, I had so many dreams and goals and things I wanted to check off. It’s like I’m experiencing those things in real time,” said Tatum.

“I grew up at my mom’s house playing 2K with my friends and cousin, dreaming about being in the game some day and then being on the cover. For that moment to come true, I cried a little bit. I was so overwhelmed and happy that something I had dreamed about came true,” he added.

It’s been a very good summer for Tatum, who is currently training with Team USA for another run at Olympic gold in Paris later this summer. A five-time All-Star and three-time All-NBA first teamer, Tatum is just the third Celtics player to be featured on the cover of a 2K game. Kevin Garnett was the first when he was on the cover of NBA 2K9, and Larry Bird was one of three cover athletes for NBA 2K12, along with Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson. Antione Walker also appeared on the cover of NBA Live in 1999.

Presales for NBA 2K25 start on Wednesday, with the game set to be released on Dec. 26.