The number 23 is a legendary one in the NBA, with two of the all-time greats wearing it in Michael Jordan and LeBron James — the latter of whom did so because of MJ.
Unsurprisingly, when the folks at 2K were figuring out what to do for NBA 2K23, they wanted to embrace that legendary number and do something special for it. On Tuesday, they announced a special Michael Jordan Edition of the game and a Championship Edition (which will include a League Pass subscription) that will feature Jordan on the cover — along with the news that pre-orders will be available starting this Thursday, July 7.
No other way to do it for 2⃣3⃣
Introducing our #NBA2K23 Cover Athlete Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan Edition
Championship Edition
Pre-order starting 7/7 pic.twitter.com/WwVTynbK2x
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) July 5, 2022
Along with Jordan being on the cover, 2K23 will be bringing back the Jordan Challenges from NBA 2K11, with the 10 original challenges of replicating legendary Jordan moments getting remastered for the new game, while five others will be added, per IGN. There’s also a trailer showing off what this next-gen version of Jordan looks like, as it’s the fourth time MJ has been on a 2K cover, but the first since 2K16.
Answer the call in #NBA2K23 with our Cover Athlete Michael Jordan
Pre-order the Michael Jordan Edition and Championship Edition starting 7/7 pic.twitter.com/IyoS8T00F6
— NBA 2K (@NBA2K) July 5, 2022
We’ll find out later who is the cover athlete for the main edition of the game, but fans wanting the Jordan Edition will likely need to be ready to fork over $99.99, while the Championship Edition will cost even more considering the League Pass subscription that comes with it.