Include video-game front to the catalog of successes for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, following a noteworthy NBA year.
Gilgeous-Alexander will appear on the NBA 2K26 front. NBA 2K revealed Gilgeous-Alexander as its featured sportsman on Tuesday, accompanying it with a mock-up of the front.
The recognition is the latest from a season where Gilgeous-Alexander practically grabbed every top accomplishment in the NBA.
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Gilgeous-Alexander topped the scoring charts in the league, on his way to securing his initial MVP award. Following this, he guided the Thunder to their first NBA title. He was crowned MVP of both the Western Conference finals and the NBA Finals.
Undoubtedly, he also began as an All-Star and earned a spot on the first-team All-NBA roster. Further, he recently inked a supermax extension with the Thunder, estimated at $285 million across four years.
When the time came to select the star for the upcoming edition of NBA 2K, the choice was likely quite obvious. Gilgeous-Alexander stands as the clear favorite.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was the obvious pick to grace the next cover of the NBA 2K franchise. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
(Luke Hales via Getty Images)
Across 76 games, Gilgeous-Alexander scored an average of 32.7 points, provided 6.4 assists, grabbed 5 rebounds, and managed 1.7 steals per game, while maintaining a shooting accuracy of 51.9% from the field and 37.5% from beyond the arc. He excelled in advanced-metrics, heading the NBA in win shares per 48 minutes (.309), a statistic known for accurately predicting MVP winners. Only three-time MVP Nikola Jokić belonged in the same sphere in this aspect (.307 win shares per 48).
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Anticipations in Oklahoma City will remain elevated for the upcoming season. The Thunder will see the return of their young, championship-caliber core and are expected to vie again for NBA champions. According to betting odds, the Thunder started Monday with a win projection of 62.5 games, seven more than the Cleveland Cavaliers, who hold the second-highest win projection at 55.5 games.
The 62.5-game projection marks the highest since the 2018-19 Golden State Warriors, which featured peak Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant. Gilgeous-Alexander aims to position his name beside theirs as a consecutive NBA champion.
Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/nba/breaking-news/article/shai-gilgeous-alexander-will-be-on-cover-of-nba-2k26-183825354.html
