As you wait to watch the NBA Finals live stream or TV presentation and listen to the debate about whether LeBron James is the King or the Highest-Profile Choke Artist, 2K Sports has some news to sway the conversation more toward the “king” side: he’s the cover athlete for NBA 2K14, which will appear on the PS4 and Xbox One later this year in addition to the Xbox 360 and PS3.
The NBA 2K14 Next-Gen Reveal video below features cover athlete LeBron James discussing life as “Video Game James” (#VideoGameJames) with a digital version of himself, and it also shows his on-court moves in actual PS4 game footage (or is it Xbox One game footage? — 2K didn’t say) from NBA 2K14. We do know, however, that the clips were taken from one of the next-gen consoles, because when 2K Sports first released the video, they acknowledged that it was the first time actual gameplay footage had been shown from a next-gen system.
LeBron James won’t likely make the moves from this video in real life tonight on ABC or in the NBA Finals live stream, because Tim Duncan, Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker (presuming he shakes off the hamstring sprain) will do whatever they can to stop them. But they sure look nice in the video below.
Amazingly, this is LeBron James’ first-ever appearance on a video game cover. I say “amazingly,” because James’ basketball resume includes a 2012 NBA championship and NBA Finals MVP award, four NBA MVP honors, nine All-Star appearances, six All-NBA first team selections, and two Olympic gold medals, solidifying him as the unquestioned choice in bringing NBA 2K basketball to fans across the globe.
“I love partnerships and opportunities that connect me directly with fans. I know from my own experience and now watching my own kids, NBA 2K is among the coolest and purest ways for fans to connect to the NBA. I love being a part of it,” said James, who is currently defending the Miami Heat’s world championship in the NBA Finals.
2K Sports also announced the King James Bonus Pack, which offers exclusive content featuring LeBron James. Customers who pre-order NBA 2K14 for the Xbox 360 and PS3 will receive:
- 10,000 Virtual Currency to get a jump start on the competition
- Extra content for the new Path to Greatness mode
- LeBron James unlocked in Blacktop Mode
- The all-new LeBron James Signature Skill available for your MyPlayer
The King James Bonus Pack will be available at no extra cost on Day One of the game’s launch in North America (October 1) and internationally (October 4). The NBA 2K14 PS4 release date and NBA 2K14 Xbox One release date haven’t yet been announced, but both versions will likely ship in November, when Microsoft and Sony are expected to ship their respective console. So stop the NBA Finals live stream or step away from the ABC broadcast…it’s time to prepare to watch LeBron James appear in a next-gen video game by pre-ordering one of the two consoles right now: Xbox One pre-order at Amazon
[NOTE: If the video isn’t working for some reason (it’s being weird tonight), head over to 2K Sports’ YouTube page to see it. Sorry about that.]