
It’s that time of the year when the cover athletes for the upcoming NBA games become a topic of discussion. Given that the NBA Live cover is expected to be announced first and that 2K has shown the tendency to stick with one guy for multiple years (considering the season Chris Paul had that seems likely to continue) this will be a breakdown of the most likely candidates for the NBA Live 09 cover.
Over the past three years the cover of NBA Live has been announced between late April and mid-June. In 06 it was Dwayne Wade (May 9th), in 07 it was Tracy McGrady (June 21st), followed by 08’s Gilbert Arenas (April 28th). Typically they’d like to announce it when interest in the NBA is high and that certainly is never more than during playoff time. It wouldn’t be surprising if the news came out as early as this week.
The Live covers have generally gone to players who have been high profile, successful, and relatively young. With that in mind lets take a look at the top eight possibilities for the cover of NBA Live 09.
First some eliminations: Kobe Bryant (Sony NBA series), Amare Stoudemire (Sony NBA Series), Chris Paul (NBA 2K series), Steve Nash (not interested in being on a cover), Kevin Garnett (NBA Live 2001), Shaquille O’Neal (NBA 2K series), Carmelo Anthony (NBA Live 2005/Street), Dwayne Wade (NBA Live 06), Tracy McGrady (NBA Live 07), Gilbert Arenas (NBA Live 08), Tim Duncan (NBA Live 2000), Allen Iverson (NBA 2K/ESPN series 99-03), Dwight Howard (NBA Ballers)
Outside shot: The potential is there to (for the first time) present the cover to someone who has previously been on. With the attention that the Boston Celtics got this year and the MVP type season that Kevin Garnett had it would be difficult to dismiss him completely as a possibility.
8- Kevin Martin – Sacramento Kings

Martin earns his way onto the list thanks to his 23.7 points per game and that he is an up-and-coming star. He now has two consecutive seasons of over 20 ppg. On the downside he only played in 61 games, the Kings didn’t make the playoffs, and he isn’t recognizable enough yet. He could be someone to watch in future years.
7- Carlos Boozer – Utah Jazz

Boozer is an All-Star that produced 21.1 ppg and 10.4 rpg resulting in the second straight year averaging over a double-double. The Jazz went to the Western Conference Finals last year and have advanced to the second round this year. He would potentially be near the top of this list if it weren’t for being somewhat overshadowed by teammate Deron Williams.
6- Michael Redd – Milwaukee Bucks

In the top 10 in scoring with 22.7 ppg which was actually a drop in production over previous years. Still he is one of the best 3pt shooters in the league and fun to watch. Playing for one of the worst teams though makes him more of a long-shot within this list.
5- Joe Johnson – Atlanta Hawks

If the Hawks were a better team Johnson would be the prototypical NBA Live cover representative. He is on his way to becoming a superstar and made his second All-Star team this year. Leading the Hawks to a surprising challenge of the Boston Celtics in the first round helps his stock but the decision may have already been made. He should be considered one of the leading contenders going into next year.
4- Brandon Roy – Portland Trailblazers

In his first two years Roy has won the Rookie of the Year and been selected to the All-Star team. He has the type of profile (both on and off the court) that would make a company comfortable with having as a representative for their game. He averaged 19.1 ppg and 5.8 apg for a Portland team that surprised many with their competitiveness.
3- Chris Bosh – Toronto Raptors

The video that Bosh made campaigning for All-Star votes probably garnered more attention than his play this year. He did make it for what became his third appearance. Playing in Toronto leads to him being overlooked in a sense but he has the stats to justify being considered for the cover. This is the third straight year that he has averaged over 22 ppg and he also added 8.7 rpg. However he did miss playing in 15 games.
2- Lebron James – Cleveland Cavaliers

There is really no more obvious choice than James for the cover. He is the most marketable player in the league and has transcended the sport like few have since Michael Jordan. But there is a reason why he hasn’t been on a cover yet. He doesn’t need it. He has all the endorsements he wants and video game covers aren’t about the money, they are about the exposure. That could change though if EA ponied up the cash to make him interested. This year he led the league in scoring coming off a season in which he almost single-handedly carried his team to the NBA Finals.
1- Deron Williams – Utah Jazz

If Lebron doesn’t work out for whatever reason that opens the door for Williams. The Williams vs Chris Paul rivalry would then extend to the cover of the two main NBA games. The success of the Jazz can in big part be attributed to the play of Williams. He averaged 18.8 ppg and 10.5 apg this year. It should also be noted that he started every single game. He fits the type of player that has been selected in the past. He is a young exciting player to watch as a leader of a successful team.
June 7, 2008 at 12:16 pm
What about the MVP THIS YEAR!?,Kobe Bryant?
Come on guys,Kobe hasn’t been in the cover of Nba Live yet,i wouldn’t buy this game if it’s Paul Peirce on the cover and any ways there’s already a Celtic’s Player on Nba2k9 and it will loook like you guys are just copying Nba2k9.
June 9, 2008 at 1:38 am
i think it will be pierce or kobe..but I saw some with the cover josh smith but i dont think it’s true
June 9, 2008 at 2:14 pm
CB4
June 9, 2008 at 5:29 pm
According to Wikipedia, Bosh, James, or Pierce will be the NBA Live 09 cover athlete…
June 9, 2008 at 11:13 pm
d-will on deck!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 10, 2008 at 12:53 pm
i say it has to be a Hawk!!! JOe or Josh…..there both young and r rising…and they made a run at the celtics givin a good inpresion 4 next season..plus either one would look good in the cover with their new jerseys
June 11, 2008 at 12:39 am
” The Truth ” is it should be Paul..The Truth..Pierce
June 11, 2008 at 7:03 am
Kevin Garnett should be on the cover but i think he will be on the 2k series so should be Lebron James
June 11, 2008 at 4:53 pm
eeeeehhhhhhh….. maybe, maybe, MAYBE.. dERON WILLIAMS,, BUT I WANT ETHIER CP3 OR BARON DAVIS!!!!
June 12, 2008 at 11:44 am
i think they should put half face Kobe nd half face Pierce like in the commercials
that would b great
June 13, 2008 at 5:05 pm
According to Wikipedia, Chris Bosh is probably the cover boy, but James, Pierce, and Williams are also possibilities.
June 13, 2008 at 10:57 pm
either paul pierce or king james or d will.
June 16, 2008 at 11:44 am
I personally think Rip Hamilton would be a good person for the cover or Kobe
June 16, 2008 at 3:00 pm
DIRK NOWITZKI give it to the 7 footer! if not, then i would of said steve nash but he dont want it…
June 16, 2008 at 3:05 pm
I think it should be j rich or kevin durant
June 16, 2008 at 3:10 pm
also mabe josh howard ,ben gordon, chris bosh, or steve nash
June 17, 2008 at 5:18 pm
LeBron James they even said as the ebst canidate
June 18, 2008 at 2:42 pm
ITS GOTTA BE THE MVP PAUL PEIRCE
June 18, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Michael Redd, Carlos, Boozer or Kobe Brayant, why 1. mr redd is one of the best players in the game just not playing for a good team. 2. kobe won MVP. 3. carlos boozer is an success he is a future hall a famer he is a great leader plus he is the best power forward in the game. and may deron willams. bradon roy not long from now. but mr. redd should be up ther future hall of famer one of the best in the game.
June 18, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Michael redd please. i want his rating to be a 88
June 20, 2008 at 9:12 am
ray allen should b on da cover i mean common he is probably da best pure shooter ever nd 7 3s in da finals he should have been da mvp
June 21, 2008 at 9:54 am
hey pasta if u get this please try ur best 2 put ur email down on a comment so i can tell u the players i want improved in nba live 09 and so i can et it 2 Brian Ullrich
June 21, 2008 at 11:25 am
I think KG should be on the cover of nba live 09 because he carried the boston celtics to the championship and they ended up winning because of him.And yu know i’m right.WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 21, 2008 at 8:35 pm
deron williams is the best choice the guy is amazing and deserves it i still cant believe chris paul got it last year he is no where near as good as deron williams
take that chris paul
June 22, 2008 at 5:32 pm
i think it should go 2 LBJ or Kobe cp3 or Steve Nash and i think live have 2 make the game play betta give people higher rating make the people more stronger betta dunk not every time i go 4 a dunk he just put his hand up take off the dunk contest and da 3pt shootout or make it betta make there face look betta better anouncers the suck and dont give rookies such a low rating dats bad and stop making people who not betta den certain people betta like melo 86 and he avg 30 last year
more forms betta d so it wont b so easy 2 lay up cause if u fast u could get by any 1 betta online cause the franchise suck make it more easier 4 people 2 join a fantasy draft
June 23, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Kobe will make the cover bitches
June 23, 2008 at 1:32 pm
KOBE the MVP is on the cover bitches!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 24, 2008 at 3:35 am
I think Derrick Rose might be in NBA Live 09 cover !!!
June 24, 2008 at 2:48 pm
GameCinema HD just released a preview of NBA Live 09..though it won’t be announced until later, the cover athlete is Tony Parker. NBA Finals MVP last year, led the Spurs this year..he deserves it.
June 24, 2008 at 3:54 pm
LEBRON BABY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! He has had MVP worthy seasons in almost all of his professional seasons. He should get it he is the front runner in my opinion. 31 points a game and he doesn’t get it what the heck that would be stupid. It is going to be Tony Parker i can feel it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 24, 2008 at 5:42 pm
no doubt… paul pierce will be on the cover.. i guarantee it. write it down. if anyone wanna bets on this, contact me at mikemerron@gmail.com..
chyeah niga
June 24, 2008 at 5:46 pm
dude..does nobody read comments? The preview’s already out..it’s Tony Parker…I’ll bet you anything you got against anything I got…
June 24, 2008 at 5:51 pm
Lebron is great, lj23, no doubt..but ya boy was denied because he wanted WAY too much money..more than anyone ever has to be the cover athlete…they told him no. I mean..he wanted an OBSCENE amount of money…that’s the only thing Lebron needs to change to be considered one of the greatest ever..he’s all about the money.. When Stephon Marbury came out with the Starbury wear, which is high quality clothes, leather jackets, sneaks, gear, and all kinds of nice clothes, and sold them for REALLY cheap, for kids and families who can’t afford expensive gear like Nike, Reebok, etc., I thought it was a really nice thing…very cool of him..and all the athletes in the NBA commended him…cept Lebron. He said “we at Nike would never sell our gear for that cheap…that’s just wrong.” Someone needs to remind Lebron of where he came from. Great athlete, even a great person…but money isn’t everything.
June 24, 2008 at 8:42 pm
tony parker is on the cover
June 24, 2008 at 10:12 pm
saw this on IGN..looks good to me.
http://i27.tinypic.com/sq739d.jpg
June 25, 2008 at 12:35 pm
i think my man lebron should get it
June 25, 2008 at 1:23 pm
read the comments…Lebron wanted an obscene amount of money to be on the cover..more than anyone ever has…
June 26, 2008 at 8:35 am
Rajon Rondo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 26, 2008 at 11:13 am
Elton Brand
well u cant forget about kevin durant. he was the rookie of the year last year and he was doing the commercials with gilbert forlive 08.
it quite possibilly could be eigther lebron(GREAT), kevin durant(rookie of the year), paul peirce(the best on the celtics), brandon roy(great player and a leader), deron williams(rising star), carlos boozer(good player), joe johnson(led his team to the playoffs), rip(hes a great player), or dwight howard(because of his performace at the dunk contest). its probally d. how.
have you noticed on the most recent live covers there have been players that have been injured? (06: d.wade, 07: t-mac, 08: gilbert, 09: Elton Brand maybe???????????????)
June 26, 2008 at 11:14 am
how do people know tony parker is on the cover. i want some proof. post the url on here please. I WANNA SEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 26, 2008 at 11:18 am
nevermind. i stand corrected. tony parker is on the cover
http://www.easports.com/nbalive09/cover.jsp
June 26, 2008 at 12:26 pm
yeah…lol…I’ve been saying that over and over again, and nobody is paying attention…IT’S TONY PARKER!!!!!!!!!!!
June 27, 2008 at 2:15 am
yea kobe bryant
June 29, 2008 at 1:41 am
Dirk nowitzki should be on the cover yea hes good
June 30, 2008 at 9:56 pm
kobe bryant 24 all day forget the rest he was mvp this year and he lead them to the finalls
July 1, 2008 at 7:57 am
i think that Paul Peirce should be on the cover because he is a beast
July 2, 2008 at 12:37 pm
I’m pretty sure that the cover of NBA LIVE 09 will be Tony Parker
July 10, 2008 at 9:49 am
kobe baby
July 14, 2008 at 1:10 pm
MAN ALL OF THOESE FOOS SUCK .
WHO DO I THINK SHOULD BE ON THE COVER……MMMMMMMMMMM
NONE OTHER THAN THE MVP HIMSELF KOBE
July 14, 2008 at 1:11 pm
MAN ALL OF THOESE FOOS AINT GOOD .
WHO DO I THINK SHOULD BE ON THE COVER……MMMMMMMMMMM
NONE OTHER THAN THE MVP HIMSELF KOBE