2K Sports, which is a subsidiary of Take Two Interactive, has announced that the cover athlete for its upcoming NBA 2K10 is set to be superstar Kobe Bryant, who is currently engaged in the NBA Finals that could bring him a fourth championship title. The game should arrive this fall on the Xbox 360 from Microsoft, the PlayStation 3 and the PSP from Sony, and the Nintendo Wii.

Kobe Bryant himself stated that “I’ve been playing sports video games for as long as I can remember and honestly, I’ve never seen one come so close to replicating real basketball. What 2K Sports has done is truly incredible and I’m proud to be a partner with them and on the cover of NBA 2K10. 2K Sports is constantly improving and adding something new to their game every year that makes them better and better, and that’s exactly what I try to do each season with my game. It’s as if 2K Sports has been on a sports video game championship run for several years now, and I’m not even sure there’s a word for that kind of dominance.”

2K Games upped the ante by bringing in renowned film director Spike Lee to create a video clip showing Kobe Bryant as the cover athlete for NBA 2K10. The director is closely connected to the world of basketball and has recently released a documentary featuring the cover athlete, called Kobe Doin' Work.

At the moment, 2K has not chosen the final layout of the game cover and it is inviting fans of the series and of Kobe Bryant to express their opinion. They need to visit the official voting site and choose from the covers posted there until June 15. A day later, the company will announce what fans have decided.

2K’s achievement in simulating basketball is arguably better than the one made by EA Sports and the presence of Kobe Bryant on the cover is set to bring even more fans to the franchise.