The 'NBA 2K' video game will honor Kobe Bryant with 2 covers for a 'Mamba Forever Edition'

• "NBA 2K" will honor the Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant with a "Mamba Forever Edition" of its "2K21" release.
• Two hand-painted portraits of Bryant — one from his years in the No. 8 jersey and another from when he wore No. 24 — will serve as covers of the video game series' latest version.
• The newly minted Hall of Famer died in a helicopter crash alongside his daughter Gianna and seven others in January.

Each year, "NBA 2K" — the popular basketball video game franchise that has been released annually since 1999 — features the NBA's best and brightest on its cover.

This year is no exception.

On Thursday, the series announced plans to honor the Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant with a "Mamba Forever Edition" of its "2K21" release.

—NBA 2K21 (@NBA2K) July 2, 2020

—NBA 2K21 (@NBA2K) July 2, 2020

Two hand-crafted portraits of Bryant — one from his years in the No. 8 jersey and another from when he wore No. 24 later in his career — will serve as covers of the video game series' latest version.

Through its "NBA 2K" Twitter account, the Visual Concepts Entertainment franchise released a video of the artist painting the covers.

—NBA 2K21 (@NBA2K) July 2, 2020

The NBA icon died at 41 years old in a January helicopter crash alongside his daughter Gianna and seven others. At the time, the entire sports world paused to mourn Bryant. The five-time NBA champion and 18-time All-Star was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in April.

Bryant is one of multiple cover athletes for the latest "NBA 2K" release. The brand had already announced that the Portland Trail Blazers sharpshooter Damian Lillard and the New Orleans Pelicans up-and-coming superstar Zion Williamson would grace the respective covers of the game for current-generation and next-gen video game consoles.

• Read more:
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• Kobe Bryant credited Michael Jordan's advice for helping him win five championships with the Lakers in emotional appearance in 'The Last Dance'
• Kobe Bryant's daughter, Gigi, and two of her Mamba Academy teammates were remembered with emotional honorary selections in the 2020 WNBA Draft
• 'The craziest year I've ever seen': The inside story of an NBA season derailed by controversy, a tragic death, and a pandemic