Damian Lillard was announced as the player on the cover of NBA 2K21. This decision had different reactions since some fans expected different players to be on the cover of the next installment of the video game. Well, the people in charge of the game picked the Portland Trail Blazers star and while some started wondering why Dame, others remembered the ‘curse’ around the cover of the video game.
Fans were quick to remember the ‘2K curse’, especially knowing the rumors around Lillard and his future in the league. Several players have changed teams the year after they featured on the cover of the simulator and Lillard could be another addition to that club.
Maitreyee Joshi of Essentially Sports recalled all the cases of players that changed teams after they were featured on the 2K cover.
For example, the video game company picked NBA star LeBron James to be on their cover in 2014. That year, King James left the Miami Heat to go back to the Cleveland Cavaliers. The same thing happened in 2018 when James was to be on the cover in 2019. This time he went to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Similarly, Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder and joined Golden State Warriors in 2016. He had featured on the cover in 2015. Paul George, Kyrie Irving, and Anthony Davis were on the covers in 2017, 2018, and 2020. They had requested trades, very close by to when they were on the cover.
Now, despite showing his desire to play with the Blazers for his entire career, Lillard has been linked with a move away from Portland, especially to Los Angeles, where LeBron James and Anthony Davis would welcome him with open arms. Some say that is the only way Dame could win a championship, but he’s not about teaming up with other stars to pursue a ring.
However, this is the NBA and more shocking things have happened before. Maybe this will be the last time we see Dame playing at the Moda Center on a nightly basis. This season he’s averaging 28.9 points, 7.8 assists and 4.3 rebounds. His Blazers will try to be one of the teams competing in the playoffs next month in Orlando.
