A leak from 2K Sports, the development studio behind the "NBA 2K" game series, revealed the three possible cover athletes for the company's next project, "NBA 2K16."
Based on the images obtained by gaming news site Polygon, NBA stars Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors, James Harden of Houston Rockets and Kevin Durant of Oklahoma City Thunder will be featured on the cover of the franchise's latest installment.
The first time the series showcased three athletes was in 2011 with the release of "NBA 2K12." The game's covers featured Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. This was then followed by its sequel, "NBA 2K13" with Durant, Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose.
Since Durant also served as the cover athlete for 2k Sports' latest release, the "NBA 2K15," the upcoming game marks his third appearance in the series.
Aside from being on the cover of "NBA 2K16," Harden, Durant and Curry will also work with 2K Sports in promoting the game through their online social media accounts.
As part of the athletes' marketing efforts, they will also promote the involvement of Hollywood director Spike Lee in the game. Aside from his prominent works, Lee is also known for his sports-themed projects such as the 1998 film "He Got Game" with Denzel Washington.
According to insiders, Lee will work on the Career Mode of "NBA 2K16." Although details of his involvement are still unconfirmed, he will most likely utilize his storytelling skills to develop the game's mode, Sporting News reported.
This speculation coincides with the tagline of "NBA 2K16," which is "Be The Story." In addition, the insiders noted that Durant, Harden and Curry will post their respective cover images for the game on their Instagram accounts with the caption "I'm starring in the new Spike Lee Joint," according to IGN.
There no official confirmations yet as to when "NBA 2K16" will launch but given the series' annual October release, the game will probably debut sometime during that month this year.
The game is expected to be released for the PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 platforms.
