Tatum’s latest win: Celtics star named NBA 2K25 cover athlete originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
It’s been a pretty awesome spring and summer for Boston Celtics superstar Jayson Tatum.
He helped lead the C’s to a 2024 NBA Finals triumph over the Dallas Mavericks for his first career championship. He scored 31 points with 11 assists and eight rebounds in the title-clinching Game 5 at TD Garden.
A few weeks later, he signed the richest contract in NBA history worth up to $315 million over five years. Tatum is also currently playing for the United States men’s Olympic basketball team, which is favored to win the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris next month.
But that’s not all for the 26-year-old.
NBA 2K announced Wednesday that Tatum is the cover athlete for the standard edition of its NBA 2K25 video game. The 2K franchise is the most popular basketball video game on a yearly basis.
“It’s an honor to be named a cover athlete for NBA 2K25,” Tatum said in a press release, via Celtics Wire. “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.”
Las Vegas Aces star A’ja Wilson is the cover athlete for the WNBA version of NBA 2K25, while Basketball Hall of Famer Vince Carter is on the cover of the Hall of Fame edition of the video game.
Tatum is the fourth Celtics player to grace the cover of a 2K basketball game, joining Kyrie Irving (NBA 2K18), Larry Bird (NBA 2K12) and Kevin Garnett (NBA 2K9). Bird was one of a few legends, including Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan, to have their own special 2K12 covers.
Other former Celtics to be on the cover of basketball video games include Paul Pierce (NBA Inside Drive 2003) and Antoine Walker (NBA Live 99).
NBC Sports Boston
