The star New York Liberty hooper lands her very own NBA 2K24 for the hit game’s GameStop-exclusive WNBA Edition.
The honors keep rolling in for Sabrina Ionescu.
The 2023 WNBA All-Star and triple-double extraordinaire will be the cover athlete for the NBA 2K24 WNBA Edition, 2K Games announced on Friday.
The New York Liberty‘s do-it-all guard joins her mentor, the late Kobe Bryant, as a special edition cover athlete for the latest version of the hit sports simulation franchise.
“It’s an honor to be on the cover, especially following such legends of the game who have been on the cover before me,” Ionescu told Boardroom. “It’s just kind of a pinch-me-moment, growing up and being able to see a lot of the NBA athletes on the cover and now being able to be on it myself.”
The Sabrina Ionescu NBA 2K24 cover will be a GameStop Exclusive edition. It is the third such cover in NBA 2K history, with Diana Taurasi and the recently retired Sue Bird gracing the cover last year.
While WNBA fans nationwide will be able to see Sabrina on the cover, it’s a sentimental moment for her specifically. Ionescu grew up playing 2K with her brothers — as a Bay Area native, she usually ended up picking the Golden State Warriors. In fact, her proudest 2K accomplishment was simply beating her twin brother, who she says played a lot more than she did.
It’s not lost on Ionescu that there are young girls and boys out there with similar sibling rivalries, favorite teams, and role model players. By being on the cover, she’s sending a message to those who look up to her.
“My mission always stays the same in just wanting to continue to inspire the youth, obviously the way that I play, but also just the way that I carry myself,” she said. “This comes with a great responsibility of continuing to be the best role model that I can and I’m excited to be able to do so.”
NBA 2K24 is available for pre-order now for Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S in the US and Canada. The game will release worldwide on Sept. 8.
