Candace Parker, a two-time WNBA MVP, will make history when she becomes the first woman and first WNBA player to appear on the cover of the popular NBA 2K video game when she graces the GameStop Exclusive edition of NBA 2K22.
The 25th-anniversary edition of NBA 2K, aka NBA 2K22, will be released on Sept. 10 on the S5, PS4, Nintendo Switch, PC, and Xbox platforms. The NBA2K series is developed by Visual Concepts and Saber Interactive, and is published by 2K Sports.
Parker, 35, is the former #1 pick in the WNBA draft. She played her collegiate ball at Tennessee and won two Olympic gold medals as a member of Team USA’s women’s basketball team in Beijing (2008) and London (2012).
Parker won a WNBA title with the LA Sparks and currently plays center for the Chicago Sky, where is the reigning defensive player of the year.
“I think it’s a benchmark of women’s basketball for sure,” Parker told the AP. “Most importantly, it speaks to visibility and how important it is and how important the WNBA is. Now more than ever, fans want to follow the athlete. Through social media, through video games, it’s adding and benefiting the WNBA.”
Parker is no stranger to video games, which makes the cover honor by NBA 2K even more special.
“I grew up a video game fanatic, that’s what I did, to the point where my brothers would give me the fake controller when I was younger where I think I was playing and I wasn’t,” Parker told ESPN. “All I wanted to do was just be like them. As a kid growing up, you dream of having your own shoe and dream of being in a video game. To be able to experience that, I don’t take it lightly.”