NBA 2K22 cover athlete’s injury shows cover curse is alive

Marc Griffin
Luka Doncic in NBA 2K22

Fans are chalking up NBA 2K22 cover star Luka Doncic’s injury ahead of the 2022 playoffs as another instance of the infamous cover curse striking again.

Sports simulation games like NBA 2K22 always feature a cover star and, for some superstitious fans, a cover athlete curse. Now, one of the NBA’s latest injuries lends more support to this urban legend.

According to the legend, athletes on the cover of games like Madden suffer injuries at a higher rate in the same year they’re featured. Now, it seems that NBA 2K could have a similar cover athlete curse on its hands.

Luka Doncic as the cover athlete NBA 2K22
Luka Doncic is the cover athlete of NBA 2K22.

NBA 2K22 cover star Luka Doncic injured

NBA 2K22 features Dallas Mavericks Point Guard Luka Doncic, who’s taken taken the NBA by storm since joining the league in 2018, on the cover.

However, an injury suffered just days before the start of the NBA Playoffs has some players convinced the cover curse is now alive and well in the 2K series.

After the news broke NBA 2K players on Reddit expressed their concern for Luka, and worried about the cover curse seeping into the NBA 2K series, with Doncic being the latest example.

NBA 2K22 players now convinced cover curse is real

 

In a post by BrownsvilleKid65, the Redditor discussed the latest injuries in the NBA, and drew comparisons with past cover stars and their injuries as examples of the curse being alive and well in 2K.

“The curse used to be that the player pictured would leave the team (Kylie, Paul George, Lebron),” one player replied.

Another went a step further, noting that “[the curse] skipped Giannis and now it’s causing injuries.”

The cover athlete/injury connections are rather interesting, but there’s no way to actually prove 2K is “cursed” or not. Cursed or not though, hopefully Doncic is able to recover before the playoffs begin on April 16.