NBA 2K13 cover athletes are Kevin Durant, Blake Griffin and Derrick Rose

Written by Matt Swider on July 10, 2012

NBA 2K13 News: NBA 2K 13 cover vote crowns athletes from the Oklahoma City Thunder, LA Clippers and Chicago Bulls.

The NBA 2K13 cover vote is finished and the cover athletes have been announced as Oklahoma City Thunder's Kevin Durant, Los Angeles Clippers' Blake Griffin and the Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose. If you follow basketball closely, you'll know that all three are past winners of the NBA Rookie of the Year award and, combined, have three scoring titles, one MVP award and went to the NBA All-Star eight times

"There's so much young talent around the NBA, so it's very exciting to be chosen for NBA 2K's 'New Dynasty' alongside Kevin and Derrick," added Griffin, who helped lead the Clippers to their first postseason since 2006. "The NBA 2K series has always been my first choice when I want to get a game in."

"It's a dream come true to be one of the cover athletes for NBA 2K13," commented Rose, the 2010-11 NBA Most Valuable Player, who led the Bulls to a league-best 50-16 record this season. "I've worked closely with 2K Sports since NBA 2K10, and I'm honored to follow in the footsteps of Michael Jordan as the latest Chicago Bull to be featured on the cover."

While the NBA 2K 13 cover athletes have been picked, developer Visual Concepts isn't done with the game just yet. For the Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Wii, the NBA 2K13 release date isn't until October 2 here in North America, while the release date in Europe stands at October 5. NBA 2K13 for Nintendo Wii U will be "available during the holiday season," according to 2K Sports.

Of course, like most games, NBA 2K13 has a pre-order bonus, though this one is a little ambiguous at this stage. Fans who pre-order NBA 2K13 today at select retailers get a free downloadable NBA All-Star content packaged on day one thanks to Sprite.