On September 6, 2024, NBA 2K25, its 26th installment, will hit stores. That’s long enough for current NBA stars to not remember life without the basketball video game. This game means a lot to a lot of people, including those who currently play it.
This is the first time those NBA dreams come true with the hugely popular MyCareer mode, where role-players become legends and plenty of arguments break out between friends.
It’s no different for Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who sees his overall rating jump to 96, putting him fourth in the NBA. On the heels of the release of NBA 2K26, the face of gaming, global ambassador, social media influencer and ratings complaint filer Ronnie 2K sat down with Thunder on SI to discuss one of the game’s highest-rated players.
Gilgeous-Alexander is not only one of the game’s top virtual players, he was also featured in promotional materials leading up to the game’s launch on September 6. This partnership is the result of a desire for authenticity.
“[Shai Gilgeous-Alexander] “He’s been a 2K fan for years. It’s unbelievable, this is our 26th, so a lot of these guys coming into the league have been playing 2K their whole lives,” Ronnie 2K told Thunder on SI, “This guy is all about it. I get texts all day long between him and his right-hand man Simon, they literally texted me this morning to tell me to watch the community gameplay video. He’s really into it, and he’s obviously a star in this league.”
Considering how in sync Gilgeous-Alexander and 2K are, those late-night texts add up. From the basketball aspect to the off-court adventures of the game’s MyCareer mode, the Thunder superstar is not only a historian of the game on the physical court, but also on the virtual one.
“The guys we work with are authentic gamers and 2K historians. He’s a real pleasure to work with, he’s a great guy and he obviously aligns with a lot of the things we align with in terms of fashion and music.” Ronnie 2k spoke with Thunder on SI as the video game continues to spotlight the Thunder superstar.
The Oklahoma City Thunder star has been one of the game’s best players, as the voice of one of the MyCareer missions and as a promotional piece thus far. The last hurdle left for Gilgeous-Alexander is to be featured on the cover. A feat that Ronnie 2K says will happen one day.
“I would like to say he’s a future cover athlete, hopefully one day that happens,” Ronnie 2K told Thunder on SI when discussing Gilgeous-Alexander.
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