Game publisher 2K Sports has officially named Paul George as the next cover athlete for the standard version of "NBA 2K17." Although the Indiana Pacers small forward was very honored after hearing the news, he's hoping that his in-game counterpart will get a better rating.
The announcement was made by the company on Wednesday and was reported by the Associated Press. Although he was chosen to grace the cover of the upcoming game, George said that he still doesn't know any details about it. He's also very eager to see what his rating will be.
"I would hope it's something that's very generous," he told the Associated Press via ESPN. "I'll wait to see. I don't get the secrets. Besides, I couldn't tell you anyway."
Getting chosen as the cover athlete for the next installment in the "NBA 2K" franchise can still be regarded as George's successful comeback from what happened to him in 2014. Back then, while playing with Team USA, he suffered a serious leg injury which caused him to miss the six last games of that season.
Since then, George has been in rehab working on his physical condition and trying to return to his previous performance level.
His determination to overcome his setbacks and regain his on-court glory are probably what influenced 2K Sports' decision in making him the upcoming game's cover athlete.
"I think he's an amazing basketball player, and yes, he's a superstar." Jason Argent, 2K's senior vice president of basketball operations told Fox Sports. "He's proven himself over and over and over again. He's a great pick. He's a fan of the brand."
"He's an amazing basketball player - one of the best," the executive added. "He's a fan of ours, we're a fan of him, so it was kind of a natural selection."
As for the upcoming game, "NBA 2K16" will be released for the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One platforms. Although it does not have an official release date yet, the game is expected to come out sometime in September of this year.
