Less than one month removed from his NBA Finals victory over the Indiana Pacers, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander’s climb to superstardom continues to rise.

Oklahoma City Thunder’s reigning league MVP and Finals MVP was announced as the cover athlete for NBA 2K26 on Tuesday ahead of its Sept. 5 release, marking the third time a Kentucky player has graced the cover, following Anthony Davis and Devin Booker. Gilgeous-Alexander also became the second Thunder player to ever don the cover of NBA 2K, previously done by Kevin Durant in NBA 2K13 and NBA 2K15.

“Every kid who grows up playing basketball pictures themselves on the cover of NBA 2K—it’s a dream come true moment, especially following an NBA Championship,” said Gilgeous-Alexander via NBA 2K. “Being on the cover is iconic, but working with 2K and Visual Concepts to set the tone in-game, from curating the tunnel fits to the playlist that players will ball to, is what makes this truly special.”

Additionally, Gilgeous-Alexander follows Wildcat alums as the third Kentucky player to be the face of an NBA 2K title. Davis was featured on the cover of NBA 2K16 and NBA 2K20; Booker was the cover athlete for NBA 2K23.

NBA 2K announced two other cover athletes alongside Gilgeous-Alexander.

Class of 2025 Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee Carmelo Anthony will dub the Superstar Edition, while Chicago Sky’s All-Star Angel Reese will represent the WNBA Edition. The final cover will feature all three athletes in the Leave No Doubt Edition.

More information about the editions provided directly from NBA 2K:

• The Standard Edition will be available for $69.99 on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC and Nintendo Switch 2, and $59.99 on Nintendo Switch.
• The WNBA Edition, a GameStop exclusive, will be available for $69.99 on PS5 and Xbox Series X|S and will only be available in the US (physical only). 
• The Superstar Edition will be available for $99.99 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. This edition includes 100,000 VC; MyCAREER content including 25x 6 Types of Skill Boosts, 25x 3 Types of Gatorade Boosts, Cover Star Jersey and 2HR 2XP Coin; as well as MyTEAM content, including Full NBA Series 1 Team Selection, Triple Threat Park Free Agent Pack (contains 3 guaranteed FA cards), 5x Series 1 Packs and 2HR 2XP Coin. The Superstar Edition will be available to play one week before worldwide release with early access.
• The Leave No Doubt Edition will only be available to purchase through September 7 for $149.99 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC. The special Leave No Doubt Edition includes everything in the Superstar Edition plus an additional 35,000 VC, a Season 1 Pro Pass and a Summer Pass (Season 7-9 Pro Passes scheduled for release in Summer 26); the Leave No Doubt MyTEAM Pack, which includes a Galaxy Opal card (scheduled for release December 2025) and an Invincible card (scheduled for release in May 2026); as well as a Puffer Jacket in MyCAREER. NBA 2K25 players who pre-order the Leave No Doubt Edition on the same Platform will receive a 10% discount**. The Leave No Doubt Edition will be available to play one week before worldwide release with early access.

On Tuesday, the Louisville Sports Commission announced that Kentucky Wildcat legends Randall Cobb and Tayshaun Prince were elected to the Kentucky Sports Hall of Fame class of 2025.

The KSHOF recognizes individuals that have made significant impacts in sports for the state of Kentucky. Other members of the class of 2025 include Louisville native, former University of Louisville gymnast, gymnastics coach, and longtime international gymnastics judge Carole Liedtke and highly accomplished female trap shooter Nora Martin Ross from Paris.

A selection committee made up of 15 sports media professionals from around Kentucky voted on the 2025 class. The KSHOF Selection Committee votes were independently tabulated by regional accounting firm Dean Dorton, one of Kentucky’s largest accounting and advisory firms, with offices in Louisville, Lexington and Raleigh, N.C.

Cobb, Prince and the remaining 2025 KSHOF class members and their families will be honored on Tuesday, Sept. 23, at Freedom Hall in Louisville.

Randall Cobb

Coming out of high school in 2008, Cobb was a three-star quarterback recruit from Alcoa, Tennessee, just south of Knoxville. Cobb was only given three offers out of high school; he chose Kentucky over nearby schools Tennessee and Middle Tennessee.

In Lexington, Cobb became the ultimate utility player due to his extreme athleticism. He is remembered as one of the most versatile athletes to ever come through Kentucky.

As a Wildcat, Cobb played wide receiver, quarterback, punt returner and kick returner during his three years at Kentucky, which allowed him to excel in the Wildcat formation. In 2011, the multipurpose star was named first-team All-America. 

Additionally, Cobb was named first-team All-SEC as a sophomore and junior. In 2010, Cobb had an SEC record-setting season where he gained 2,396 all-purpose yards.

Cobb claimed the all-time Kentucky leader honor for career touchdowns with 37 until Benny Snell Jr. broke the record at the end of the decade.

The Green Bay Packers selected Cobb with the 64th pick of the second round in the 2011 NFL Draft to play wide receiver and special teams.

As a member of the Packers, Cobb would have a successful career in Green Bay, forming a tight bond on and off the field with future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers. In his first career game against the New Orleans Saints, Cobb caught a 32-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers and returned a kickoff for a 108-yard touchdown.

Cobb spent the first eight seasons of his NFL career in Green Bay, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2014, after achieving career highs with 91 receptions, 1,287 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns.

In 2019, the former Wildcat joined the Dallas Cowboys to catch passes from Dak Prescott for one season. A year later, Cobb inked a deal with the Houston Texans as a target for Deshaun Watson, where he played a lone season there.

Prior to the 2021 season, Rodgers requested for the Packers to reunite the Cobb-Rodgers duo. So, Green Bay traded for Cobb ahead of the season. 

After two reasons back in the green and gold, Cobb followed Rodgers in leaving Green Bay for the New York Jets. The 2023 season would be the last of Cobb’s career, as Rodgers missed the entire season with a torn achilles, he caught one touchdown that season against his former squad, the Houston Texans.

Cobb joined the SEC Network as a studio analyst in the summer of 2024, covering football around the SEC.

Tayshaun Prince

Hailing from Compton, California, Prince played four seasons at Kentucky from 1998 to 2001.

During his four-year tenure in blue, Prince averaged 13.2 points and 5.7 rebounds, as the Wildcats advanced to the Sweet 16 three times and the Elite 8 once in the NCAA Tournament each year under head coach Tubby Smith. Prince’s junior season earned him the 2000-2001 SEC Player of the Year with 16.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

In 2001, Prince led the Wildcats to an SEC Championship, beating the Ole Miss Rebels 77-55 to win the championship. Prince was awarded SEC Tournament MVP after putting up 26 points and 12 rebounds in the championship game.

Earlier in that season Prince had one of the most memorable moments in Kentucky history by nailing five consecutive 3-pointers to begin a game against North Carolina. The Wildcats went on to win 79-59 in front of Rupp Arena thanks to a 31-point, 11-rebound performance from Prince.

In his final two seasons at Kentucky, Prince was elected to First-Team All-SEC honors. Previously, Prince was named to the Second-Team All-SEC his sophomore year.

After a successful four-year collegiate career where Prince scored over 1,700 points, the Compton native entered the 2002 NBA Draft.

The Detroit Pistons selected the Kentucky guard with the 23rd pick of the first round. 

Prince would spend the bulk of his career in Detroit on a competitive Pistons squad, reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in his rookie season.

In Prince’s sophomore season, the Pistons advanced to the NBA Finals with the Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant Los Angeles Lakers. As the Lakers boasted four future Hall of Famers.

The 2004 NBA Finals is widely recognized as one of the most challenging and improbable underdog championships in sports history, and the Pistons defeated Los Angeles in six games.

Prince was the primary defender on Bryant throughout the series, even holding Bryant to 11 points in Game 3. The Kentucky product earned the first and only NBA Championship of his career, averaging 10 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game during the Finals.

Additionally, Prince won an Olympic gold medal representing America on the “Redeem Team” at the 2008 Beijing Games.

From 2005 to 2008, Prince was named to the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team.

After spending his first 12 seasons with the Pistons, Prince played for the Memphis Grizzlies and had brief stints with the Boston Celtics and the Pistons again until retiring as a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Since 2017, Prince has been a member of the Memphis Grizzlies front office. Currently, he serves as Vice President of Basketball Affairs.

After a lull in NBA news regarding freshly former Wildcats, Jaxson Robinson has rounded off last year’s class by officially landing an exhibit 10 contract with the Cleveland Cavaliers. The deal is fixated on a non-guaranteed one year period during which Robinson will have a chance to secure a spot on the permanent roster.

Robinson, who was originally projected by many as a second round draft pick before he sustained an injury to his wrist late last season, is the final Cat to find his place in the league. First, two were drafted (Brea, Williams,) then the next two were signed (Butler, Carr,) leaving Robinson as the odd-man out for a short period of time while he worked to earn an opportunity.

When healthy, the fan-favorite forward averaged 13 points, four rebounds and two assists for the blue and white throughout the 2024-25 season, showing flashes of elite shooting and surprising defensive prowess. His lengthy, 6’6 frame is built for the next level – given a streak of good health and the opportunity to play, Robinson could prove just that.

And now, with the Cavs, he’ll have his first shot. Cleveland, reeling from a second-round exit in the NBA Playoffs and having just lost arguably their most proficient bench scorer in Ty Jerome, will certainly be looking for scoring options for their second unit. With the summer league ahead and plenty of time to make a splash, Robinson, despite his somewhat delayed signing, is bound to see the court sooner rather than later.

Big Blue Nation will be behind #2 going forward, either way. Wherever Robinson ends up, it’ll be on his feet.