NBA 2K released its WNBA Edition cover Wednesday, with Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi gracing the 2K23 iteration of the video game.
Last year, Candace Parker became the first WNBA athlete to grace the cover of NBA 2K.
After the announcement dropped, though, the Minnesota Lynx called out the omission of star center Sylvia Fowles.
no @SylviaFowles?She’s only a: ▪️ 4x Olympic Gold Medalist▪️ 2x WNBA Champion▪️ 2x WNBA Finals MVP▪️ 4x WNBA Defensive Player of the Year▪️ WNBA MVP▪️ WNBA 25th Anniversary Team member▪️ WNBA All-Time Rebounding Leader…but OK. https://t.co/BRUErfT2yO— Minnesota Lynx (@minnesotalynx) July 6, 2022
no @SylviaFowles?She’s only a: ▪️ 4x Olympic Gold Medalist▪️ 2x WNBA Champion▪️ 2x WNBA Finals MVP▪️ 4x WNBA Defensive Player of the Year▪️ WNBA MVP▪️ WNBA 25th Anniversary Team member▪️ WNBA All-Time Rebounding Leader…but OK. https://t.co/BRUErfT2yO
Fowles, like Bird, is in her final season in the WNBA. To honor the pair ahead of their impending retirements, the league named Fowles and Bird as captains for Sunday’s WNBA All-Star game alongside A’ja Wilson and Breanna Stewart.
A two-time WNBA champion and four-time Olympic gold medalist, Fowles is also second in the league in rebounds this season (9.3 per game) and is averaging 14.9 points per game.
Taurasi, who is the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer, is averaging 15.5 points per game this season alongside 4.1 assists, while Bird is averaging 8.3 points and 5.9 assists.
Taurasi and Bird were teammates at UConn and helped the Huskies win a national title in 2002.
NBA 2K is partnering with Bird and Taurasi to donate $100,000 to Every Kid Sports. The money will help cover the youth basketball registration fees for more than 550 girls.
“It’s an incredible feeling to see myself on the cover of a video game that has such a cultural impact,” Bird said as part of the announcement. “And by partnering with NBA 2K and Every Kid Sports, Diana and I have the opportunity to open doors to hundreds of young girls in this country who want to express themselves on the court. I’m honored to be on the cover, and even more honored to use my legacy to provide these opportunities for the next generation.”
Two of the best to ever do it 🏀Introducing our #NBA2K23 WNBA Edition Cover Athletes @DianaTaurasi and @S10Bird Pre-order starting 7/7 pic.twitter.com/Lwf5emabUu— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) July 6, 2022
Two of the best to ever do it 🏀Introducing our #NBA2K23 WNBA Edition Cover Athletes @DianaTaurasi and @S10Bird Pre-order starting 7/7 pic.twitter.com/Lwf5emabUu