2K Sports, the sports publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), announced today that 11-time NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant of the Los Angeles Lakers, will be featured as the cover athlete and spokesman for the highly anticipated basketball video game, NBA 2K10.
"I've been playing sports video games for as long as I can remember and honestly, I've never seen one come so close to replicating real basketball. What 2K Sports has done is truly incredible and I'm proud to be a partner with them and on the cover of NBA 2K10," said Bryant, currently seeking his fourth career NBA championship. "2K Sports is constantly improving and adding something new to their game every year that makes them better and better, and that's exactly what I try to do each season with my game. It's as if 2K Sports has been on a sports video game championship run for several years now, and I'm not even sure there's a word for that kind of dominance."
To support this announcement, 2K Sports brought on legendary, award-winning film director and die-hard New York Knicks fan, Spike Lee, to produce an exclusive TV spot that aired last night to reveal Kobe Bryant as the cover athlete for NBA 2K10. Lee, who recently directed the highly publicized documentary on Kobe Bryant, Kobe Doin' Work (ESPN Films), is famously known for his intense love and passion for the game of basketball.
"It's quite obvious why 2K Sports put Kobe Bryant on the cover of NBA 2K10, which is the best NBA video game," said Lee, whose recent documentary on Bryant has earned high praise. "One day Kobe and I will go 1 on 1 playing NBA 2K10."
In conjunction with the reveal of Bryant as the cover athlete for NBA 2K10, 2K Sports will invite fans to vote on their choice for the official box cover. A dedicated voting site will offer fans a selection of NBA 2K10 box covers to choose from, and the voting period is open now through June 15. The box cover that receives the most votes at the end of the voting period will be unveiled as the cover of NBA 2K10 on June 16th.