NBA 2K24 Cover Athlete Predictions, Picks & Odds: Jokic Favored After NBA Finals Run

Here are our best NBA predictions for the 2K24 cover athlete based on the odds from our top sportsbooks.

Shane Jackson

Last updated: May 31, 2023 9:21 PM EDT • 4 min read

Nikola Jokic is the betting favorite to land the NBA 2K24 cover after guiding the Denver Nuggets to their first-ever trip to the NBA Finals. Let's take a look at the best NBA odds to see who we should bet on to be on the cover of NBA 2K24.

Sure, the goal of most NBA players is to win a championship. They also want to earn as much money as possible and secure an MVP award if they are the best of the best. But have we considered how much being the cover athlete on the NBA 2K video game matters to our favorite stars?

Later this summer, the 2K franchise will announce its cover athlete for the NBA video game. There will certainly be other versions such as the legacy edition or the WNBA edition, but it remains to be seen who will have the honor of being featured on the cover of the standard edition.

Thanks to our best sports betting apps, we do at least have an idea of who the top contenders are. Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic is the betting favorite with his team set to compete in the NBA Finals, while Jimmy Butler of the Miami Heat is also in the mix. But is it as simple as which player wins the championship trophy?

Let's take a look at this market through our top NBA betting sites and try to figure out what the best play might be for the NBA 2K24 cover athlete.

Check out our NBA Finals odds and NBA Finals MVP odds.

NBA 2K24 cover athlete odds

Team	Odds
Nikola Jokic	+450
Jayson Tatum	+550
Jimmy Butler	+1000
Victor Wembanyama	+1000
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander	+1400
Giannis Antetokounmpo	+1600
Luka Doncic	+1600
De'Aaron Fox	+1800
Stephen Curry	+1800
Joel Embiid	+1800
Jamal Murray	+2000
LeBron James	+2000
Kevin Durant	+2000

NBA 2K24 cover athlete predictions

LeBron James (+2000)

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Are you ready to have your mind blown? LeBron James has only been on the 2K cover twice in his 20-year career, despite being the best and most popular player in the league for much of the last two decades. For those keeping score at home, Anthony Davis has been on the cover just as much as James.

James was on the cover for 2K14 as a member of the Miami Heat and then was featured on the 20th anniversary edition in 2K19. For what it's worth, Giannis Antetokounmpo was actually the cover athlete of the standard edition that same year. Basically, James has only been the cover athlete for one standard edition of 2K.

That is the shocking truth I discovered while writing this article, because I thought James was a no-brainer at his price. I still like betting on James at 20/1, but it's worth mentioning that he has rarely actually been picked.

But we have plenty of narratives working in our favor this time around. The 2023-24 season might very well end up being James' retirement tour, as he hinted at stepping away after losing to the Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals. James also became the NBA's all-time scoring leader this past season, so there are plenty marketing angles with that accolade.

I could see a world where James is featured on the legacy edition instead, but that is likely to be reserved for Kobe Bryant in honor of his 24 number for 2K24. So, there could be some Lakers symmetry by putting James on the cover of the standard edition. The Lakers are currently fifth in 2024 championship odds, so expectations remain pretty high for them and it wouldn't be unreasonable to feature them on the cover.

Perhaps Jokic averages a triple-double in the NBA Finals and wraps up this debate, earning the first 2K cover honor of his career. Yet, at 20/1, I'm willing to take the chance that 2K opts to give James his third crack at the cover. He should be priced right behind Jokic in this market at the very least.

Check out our next team predictions for LeBron James, Damian Lillard, Kyrie Irving, Russell Westbrook, and Dillon Brooks.

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Written By:
Shane Jackson

Shane Jackson has been writing for Sportsbook Review since 2022, though his passion for sports, writing, and betting runs much longer than that. He graduated from the University of Kansas with a journalism degree in 2017 and has been covering sports ever since, working for MLB.com, Manhattan Mercury, Lawrence Journal-World, WynnBET, Bet Chicago Sports, BetNOLA, and BetMGM. Jackson cares about creating quality sports betting content above all else. He uses a mixture of models, information, film, analysis, and a top-down approach to locate every best bet shared for SBR. He never gives out a pick that he wouldn’t be willing to spend his own money on. Jackson is focused on finding +EV bets on a daily basis for a variety of sports such as NCAAF, NCAAB, NFL, NBA, WNBA, and MLB. He usually bets on props but is willing to wager on a spread or total when there is an edge. Don’t ask him how many bets he has placed on a typical college football Saturday. Jackson doesn’t care if you follow him on social media, but his Twitter account has info on how you can follow his bets through multiple third-party platforms. He just wants you to read all the great work from the SBR team.