- NBA 2K14: LeBron James; left Heat following season
- NBA 2K15: Kevin Durant; left Thunder after 2 seasons
- NBA 2K16: Stephen Curry, James Harden, Anthony Davis; all players stayed
- NBA 2K17: Paul George; left Pacers following season
- NBA 2K18: Kyrie Irving, left Cavaliers less than a month before 2K18 dropped
- NBA 2K19: Giannis Antetokounmpo; scheduled for free agency in summer of 2021

Twitter trolls and other various people are claiming that the curse is already in effect for 2K19. While Giannis Antetokounmpo is the official cover athlete, LeBron James is the cover athlete of the 20th anniversary special edition of the game. To me, this is a massive reach.
This will make only the fourth year that 2K has released a special edition of the game, and all four players on said covers have been legends. Michael Jordan (2K16), Kobe Bryant (2K17), Shaquille O’Neal (2K18), and now LeBron James. The only difference here is that LeBron is still an active player. He is still a legend, and very deserving of the 20th anniversary cover. James is not the regular version cover athlete, and isn’t even shown in uniform on the special edition cover. Only his face is shown (see below).
What do you think about the NBA 2K curse? Is it real? Would you want the best player of your favorite NBA team to grace the cover? Let us know in the comment section below.
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