'Greek Freak' first international player to grace cover of NBA 2K19

'Greek Freak' and Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, has been announced as the cover athlete for NBA 2K19, an upcoming basketball simulation video game published by 2K Sports. 

The basketball star forward and native of Greece, Antetokounmpo is the first international player on the cover of the game's standard edition, which has had yearly releases since 1999.

Last week, a leak suggested Antetokounmpo would be the cover star of the game, and on Monday 2K made the official announcement during a live-stream event featuring Giannis in Athens. In addition to posting an image of the cover, they also released a trailer showing off the graphics for the game. 

“I am honoured to be the first international player featured on the cover of NBA 2K19…I love playing NBA 2K so this means a lot to me. I have worked hard to earn recognition in the NBA and being on the cover of NBA 2K19 is a dream come true,” said Antetokounmpo in a statement. 

Vice President of Marketing for NBA 2K, Alfie Brody said “Giannis is the future of the NBA and his drive and athleticism have made him an undeniable force in the league. He’s the perfect cover athlete and we’re excited to feature him as our very first international cover star, as NBA 2K has a strong following with fans all over the world.”

The cover also features key words and phrases that hold significance to Antetokounmpo including "Father's Legacy”, “Athens”, “Family”, "Fear the Deer” and "Greek Freak”. 

The NBA 2K19 Standard Edition will be available in September 2018 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and Windows PC platforms.