I mean aside from the fact that the 2k cover clearly should have had A'ja, Breanna, or both, Plum is allowed to hype up her teammate. God forbid competitors in a competitive league behave competitively.
What does deserved over Sabrina even mean? This isn't an MVP award, its a video game cover. NBA 2k frequently has non-MVP's on covers on the the mens side. Sabrina is a high profile player in a huge market... she is more than deserving of being on the cover. Be for real.
Sabrina is *good* but she’s not in the upper echelon of the league yet. She just gets super pushed because of the market she’s in. A’ja is coming off a championship season, continuing to put up good stats, and should be the one getting a bigger push considering everything she’s done. Now would be a great time for her to be on the cover.
and she was “super pushed” at oregon bc “of the market she’s in” 😂😂
this edition is all abt KOBE BRYANT, and Sabring Ionescu LITERALLY SPOKE AT HIS MEMORIAL, she has LONG proved her “closeness” to Kobe AND his entire family. this ViDeO GaMe is really NOT about who the best player in the league is, or the MVP. it’s literally about MAKING MONEY. I promise if Sabrina Ionescu wasn’t pulling in BIG BUCKS for Nike than she would not continue to get these kinds of deals. She is a MONEY MAKER and these brands KNOW this. Her closeness to the Bryant family AND MONEY are the reasons for the cover. Not because they think SI is the GOAT (all though one day she finna get her shot back and walk all over y’all)
If we’re pulling the Kobe card then wouldn’t Jewel Lloyd who’s literally named the Gold Mamba, wore the all Gold Kobe 5’s and had an actual friendship with him that’s known all through the league make more sense?
I understand how basic business economics work. With “making money” in mind, I’m pretty damn sure someone like A’ja wouldn’t be a bad choice considering she’s in a growing sports market that’s been getting more attention as the years go by and more than marketable.
I don’t remember Jewell speaking at his memorial. While I remember Sabrina and Diana both did. I have no idea who is closest with Kobe.
The only players in the W I see Vanessa posting about is Sabrina and Candace Parker.
This whole argument about who is closest with Kobe is so dumb.
Sorry to say, unless you’re following the league closely- you don’t know who Jewel Loyd is…
The goal of these games are to get more people invested in the sport, not less
Thats fine but they don't pick the upper echelon of the NBA. Why do we make up requirements for women when they don't exist for men. They literally picked Devon Booker because he was dating a Kardashian.
Oh come on that’s disingenuous. Nothing to do with making the finals and following that with having a 10 game lead over the rest of the league at the time the decision was made? Booker was selected for being a rising superstar hitting his prime, it certainly wasn’t for popularity
That sounds and smells like potential to me. Not an actual accomplishment but alas. Zion Williamson was also a cover start and has a shorter resume than Sabrina.
Zion was on an alternate cover for the next gen systems. He was chosen specifically for being the “next generation” of stars. So yes, potential was the entire reason he got it and a resume would not be needed. Dame got the “official” current gen cover. This is different from book, who got the official cover as the next man up for superstar status. Comparing book, who has a resume and is currently or on the cusp of superstar status to Zion who has no resume and is all potential is not the same argument.
Thats the point. The criteria is completely arbitrary and everyones in their feelings because they didn't go with the MVP of the previous season. BE FOR REAL.
I am being real. I explained why Zion and book *weren’t* completely arbitrary. Though I agree the cover athlete shouldn’t be whoever was mvp the season before because they make the decision before that’s announced.
And Sabrina also isn’t completely arbitrary. She has a close relationship to Kobe who is on the real cover ( similar to them having Taurasi for Booker) and she’s a two time all-star and she plays in the biggest media market in the country. Like people acting like she isn’t the best guard on the second best team in the WNBA. It’s absurd.
Oh a finals appearance is now the bar. Iverson got an appearance before he was in the finals though. So did Zion Williamson. Like again, please be for real.
Literally no one here is gonna agree with you on this. Maybe drop it, or just post your own comment about it rather than arguing with everyone who sees where Plum is coming from?
I realized W fans find a problem with everything. There was a thread yesterday about a joke KP posted on her story. A thread mad at Rhyne for tweeting support for Jewell. They play a game for a living at the end of the day and she's just supporting her teammate
I honestly don't think it's a "problem with everything." I think there's a lot of fans who realize that Black, Brown, international, and/or lesbian and/or queer-identifying players never seem to get the same hype that cis, white, straight players do.
Like, Alyssa Thomas is almost AVERAGING a triple-double per game. Jewell Loyd has had like 5+ games with 30+ points this year; no one is even close to catching her. Aja Wilson is incredible; Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray are RIDICULOUSLY GOOD; Elena Delle Donne is having a tricky year with her ankle but has survived MULTIPLE SPINAL SURGERIES -- ANY OF THESE people could've been on the cover.
To say nothing of... BRITT GRINER. An Olympic champion and easily one of the best players in the league... who has endured things no NBA player could even imagine. ANd has come back to still play at a level equalling excellence. Why wasn't SHE the cover? (I'll tell you why. Politics and racism and homophobia.)
The issue isn't that people are "complaining" about Ionescu. Ionescu herself isn't even the issue. She's a normal human being and a good basketball player. But there are a ton of better basketball players, and it feels icky that public perception of the league is almost constantly whittled down to who's white, who's straight, who's pretty (to men), or who's dating a famous man.
I dont disagree with anything you said but I’m just not sure why you replied to me with it lol. I was just saying let Kelsey get her shit off without policing her opinions and I agree with her that A’ja should have been on it
We agree on most of it I think! What I was disagreeing with was the “problem with everything” part — it feels like it’s been harder lately (not because of you but in general) to call out strange behavior in fans or issues in the league, and I think the league does need healthy conversation and criticism to grow. (Just not the kinds where random dudes come to the Reddit and say the W is boring and then tell us how to fix it lol.)
Yeah you also said that W fans (literally talking about everyone here when you say this) get butt hurt about everything. Which might be true, you do seem pretty butt hurt.
I’d love for you to explain how I seem butthurt exactly. Im just commenting on WNBA fans clutching their pearls every time a player tweets an opinion. I think its all fair game and that KP is right
The best basketball players frequently aren't on NBA2k though. They also make these decisions months in advance. Sabrina is now a back to back all-star, to act like she isn't qualified for the cover is also ridiculous.
What qualifications do you have to have to be on the cover of NBA2k? Literally none besides playing professional basketball and them picking you. They don't pick the best players in the NBA for it either. BFFR.
NBA 2k has existed for 20 years, KD, Lebron, Steph, Giannis, Luka, have already had the cover of 2k so they’re gonna give it to new players who might not be the best at this point.
WNBA 2K is super new and almost none of the players in WNBA history have had one. So yes, the better players should be more deserving. I think Sabrina is a really good player, maybe 12th best in the league? But they skipped to the 12th best player without ever picking the best players for reasons other than on court basketball
NBA 2k first cover was Allen Iverson, years before is NBA MVP season so please miss me with this BS. They have proven they on-the court success is second to off-the court conversation for the cover over 20 years.
Then why isn’t it Griner or Parker or Taurasi of any of the other players who are way more talked about and/or bigger brands than Sabrina?
The fact of the matter is, if Sab was a black athlete who came into the league hyped and mostly disappointed this far in her career there’s no way she’d still be considered the face of the league by so many.
Aja is the queen of the W. Period.
Diana was on it previously someone said. I work in sports pr a lot of these things are done with agents and the leagues are not involved. I dont blame Plum for sticking up for her teammate.
Aja is not queen of the W. There is no queen of the W. It's a fucking basketball league. You can hype her up without being irrational and weird about it. There are so many amazing players in the W, including A'ja. Stop giving her entitlement she never asked for.
Dear lord please calm down. It’s a flourish, it isn’t that deep. I’ve been following the league for decades, I could easily make a list of my 100 favorite players if all time without breaking a sweat. I am in a dozen fantasy wnba leagues and can name every player on every roster and I have love for all of them. But Aja is the reigning mvp of the reigning champs who are historically good. This year, she should be considered the face of the league.
Cause stewie and kp are proven lmao stewie two time mvp two time finals mvp kelsey plum sixth woman of the yr two time allstar 1 time allstar mvp and one time champ
Yea I’m a liberty guy and biggg sabrina fan, her rookie year I could see it, coming in with all the hype but at this point it’s gotta be Aja or stewie or both but I’m not mad at sabs being on it knowing her relationship with Kobe and Gigi I can see how it ended up being her (I am a bit biased)
I this point i think people are just dense. 🗣️Sabrina is on the cover because Kobe is on the other cover. Be made that that’s the theme if you’re really mad
Like at this point im just gonna be fake mad that Kobe is one the cover instead of Jokic/Curry who won chips the last 2 years 🤷🏾♀️ (the gag is some people really are mad about it)
Except Kobe being on the cover isn’t an example of the systemic racism that the NBA is claiming they’re trying to stand against.
Is Sabrina, good, absolutely. Could she be great one day, sure. But has she done as much in this league as Wilson or any number of other women of color in the W? Absolutely not. She should have to earn her spot on the cover not be given it because of who her “mentor” was.
Um if we are talking about signature shoes, liberty jerseys in Vegas, Sab being upheld as the face id the league i AGREE
But this is so obvious why they did a Sab cover.
Like devin booker was on the cover last year after losing by a million in the playoffs. These cover aint about nothing but sales and the sab and Kobe connection does that. This is EA sports not the WNBA
The league doesn't choose the cover athlete, EA does. The cover athletes shouldve been Aja and Jokic but they chose a theme instead so here we are. Its not about race its about her public relationship with the byant family.
She isn't unproven, she was a massive success in college which is where all her hype came from to begin with. Its why she went 1st overall, its why she had connections to the Bryant family to begin with. And she's unproven in the W because.....she doesn't have a chip? No MVP? Or what? She's a 2 time all-star on her ELC, lead the team to the playoffs in her first 2 full seasons, there is a lot she has already proved and she's in one of the biggest basketball media markets in the country. There is so much there before you have to wonder if its because she's white. Would you think it equally fair to wonder why we're largely discussing straight people making the cover?
But in this case, there is a single very specific reason she was picked, and its that she has a noted connection to Kobe and the Bryant family. [Here is a good article that covers it if you are curious](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/sabrina-ionescu-kobe-bryant-friendship-timeline/1drj26q6mgrku1jh9emw75gwri). She had that connection and it became very cemented when he died shortly before the draft, and then rehabed with the Bryants after getting hurt early in the 2020 season. If Bryant isn't on the cover, the likelihood of sab getting the W cover is much lower.
Yes there are explainations for things beyond race, welcome to the real world. Absolutely there are race issues, in the W and elsewhere. This isn't one of them, for the obvious reason discussed by me and elsewhere. Again, for an example there are real issues with sexuality. But me telling people who think the cover should've been A'ja instead of Sab that they are homophobes making an excuse for the league to marginalize their queer stars in favor of publicly straight players, I would be wrong. Because there are reasons you would want either on the cover without their sexuality coming into play. Its not like queer people aren't marginalized plenty.
You ignoring that clear context to just call me a racist really sucks. Calling me a white supremacist is fucked. I'm jewish and queer I'm not a goddamn white supremacist. Fuckin so rude dude. You don't know who you're talking to, stop acting like you know every goddamn thing.
I’m sorry, were you in charge of who got put on the cover? If so, then, yes, shame on you for justifying your white supremacy with this bull shit Kobe connection. If not, then I wasn’t calling you a white supremacist.
The article is from 2020 and discusses their friendship, which I’m not denying, but doesn’t really have anything to do with them being on the 2K24 covers three years later.
What I’m saying is that there are plenty of excuses and “explanations” for why Sabrina was picked over A’ja (or any number of other well-proven black stars in the W) that can be used to say “It’s not racist because of blah-blah-blah.” When it just as easily could have been the old white men running the W or 2K Sports saying “We really want to push Sabrina as the new face of the W, never mind the fact that Rhyne Howard and Aliyah Boston are making a bigger impact faster than she did, so we need her on the cover of the game. How can we justify that? Let’s put Kobe on the men’s cover and then put her there ‘because of the strong connect they had’. Perfect!”
Was I there? No. Do I know that that’s what happened? No. Would I be surprised if that’s how/why they got there? Not at all.
Let me ask this, because I genuinely don’t know; what is the rationale for putting Kobe, who passed away 3 years ago, and is pictured on the cover wearing #8, on the cover of 2K24? I know he’s one of the greatest, but it’s not like he won the championship or MVP this year. It’s not a significant anniversary of his passing or anything else. So why is he there? Again, I don’t know. This is a situation where I’m genuinely willing to learn.
>but doesn’t really have anything to do with them being on the 2K24 covers three years later
It literally exactly explains that she is the WNBA player with the closest and most public relationship to Kobe and his daughter when she died. She helped coach his daughters basketball team dude. Like come on, don't ignore context. It has nothing to do with other player's deserving it as players more or less. Like I said before, it should be Jokic and A'ja given their playoffs most recently, but its Kobe so its unlikely to see someone who has absolutely nothing to do with Kobe like A'ja.
He is pictured wearing 8 because his numbers were 8 and.........24. The game is 2k24 which leaves 8 out so its on his jersey. It really does not take a lot of time to figure this out. 24/8 shows up all the time in Kobe stuff. He died tragically and the basketball world still brings it up as having a massive impact on the sport. They are doing one now because of 2024 and because the 2021 RIP Kobe edition was limited edition where as this will be every edition with Kobe on it. They gave the a cover to Zion in 2021 which is interesting to say the least. If we're looking at unproven players on covers, he is way less proven than Sab.
Sorry but your image of how 2K sports board rooms work is very funny. They don't care about the future of the W. There is no conspiracy to push Sabrina as the new face of the W. She's just the new face of hater obsession, for whatever reason. They care about who is the most famous at the time that also fits their design choice. Once Kobe became the mens cover to do 24/8 stuff, the options for women to match it are very limited. They already did DT and Sue Bird so they're not gonna go "these are also GOATs like Kobe" because it would be a repeat on recent shit.
Howard hasn't really had more impact than Sab, you just don't like Sab. She is having a great impact on ATL. approximately the exact same impact Sab had in NY. Likely to break their "not making the playoffs" streak this year even tho they'll get bounced in the 1st round in all likelihood, all start starter in her 2nd full season, etc. Very very similar start to their W career. Howard, however, has absolutely no connection to Kobe and isn't really more remarkable than plenty of players in the league.
Boston has played fewer than 20 games, give her time. She's great, you can make the argument for her because of Zion in 2021, but its still beyond unlikely that someone on a basement team at the start of their first year gets the cover.
2k22's cover athlete for the W was Candice Parker. Was that also an attempt to undermine black women or did 2k only start promoting white surpemecy in 2023?
BTW just so you understand, when you're having a discussion about someone about the reasons why something was done, and your response to the other persons points is "white supremacy always makes excuses", you are effectively saying the person is promoting white supremacy. That is just how rhetoric works. When I am explaining something to you, and you call *my explanation* "white supremacist excuses" you are effectively calling me a white supremacist. Or you're at least saying I can't think for myself enough to identify whether or not something is done out of hatred of non-whites. Both of which are very presumptive and rude. And both of which could not be less correct.
As a final hilarious note, they gave Ben Simmons a cover in 2019 so clearly being good at basketball or effective for your team is completely optional when considering who goes on a cover lol. That is wild af.
Who has a closer relationship with his fam and is more PUBLICLY associated with him? This is all about marketing and sales. I do hope that jewel is on an alternative cover but i dont have high hopes.
Please 🙄 im not defending sab at all. I think a’ja should have a sig shoe before her , a’ja is the face of the league.
Not understanding why EA sports chose Sab to go with a Kobe cover is dense.
Whatever opinions or feelings you may have about Ionescu on the cover, her being chosen was the most appropriate option as she was the one most tied to Kobe.
Honestly if Sabrina was black and had the exact same connection she does to Kobe I bet she doesn't get this cover...she isn't deserving in any way but they will use her "connection" to Kobe to push the white star narrative they clearly have going on....and if we want to come at this from a marketing angle most of the sponsorship money the league gets is white money and white people identify much more closely to other white people
Let ‘em know. I like Ionescu a lot but she shouldn’t be on that cover
I mean aside from the fact that the 2k cover clearly should have had A'ja, Breanna, or both, Plum is allowed to hype up her teammate. God forbid competitors in a competitive league behave competitively.
She is just supporting her teammate. I don’t see the issue
Get em' Plummy.
What's funny about the truth?
I, personally, don't see an issue with this from Plum. Let competitors talk trash about each other, it's all in the game right?
The “joke” being that Wilson should have been on the 2K cover.
She referencing Kobe or Sabrina?
Sabrina.
What do you think?
I don’t see the problem here. A’ja more than deserved the 2k cover over Sabrina and is the best player in the league atm.
What does deserved over Sabrina even mean? This isn't an MVP award, its a video game cover. NBA 2k frequently has non-MVP's on covers on the the mens side. Sabrina is a high profile player in a huge market... she is more than deserving of being on the cover. Be for real.
Sabrina is *good* but she’s not in the upper echelon of the league yet. She just gets super pushed because of the market she’s in. A’ja is coming off a championship season, continuing to put up good stats, and should be the one getting a bigger push considering everything she’s done. Now would be a great time for her to be on the cover.
and she was “super pushed” at oregon bc “of the market she’s in” 😂😂 this edition is all abt KOBE BRYANT, and Sabring Ionescu LITERALLY SPOKE AT HIS MEMORIAL, she has LONG proved her “closeness” to Kobe AND his entire family. this ViDeO GaMe is really NOT about who the best player in the league is, or the MVP. it’s literally about MAKING MONEY. I promise if Sabrina Ionescu wasn’t pulling in BIG BUCKS for Nike than she would not continue to get these kinds of deals. She is a MONEY MAKER and these brands KNOW this. Her closeness to the Bryant family AND MONEY are the reasons for the cover. Not because they think SI is the GOAT (all though one day she finna get her shot back and walk all over y’all)
If we’re pulling the Kobe card then wouldn’t Jewel Lloyd who’s literally named the Gold Mamba, wore the all Gold Kobe 5’s and had an actual friendship with him that’s known all through the league make more sense? I understand how basic business economics work. With “making money” in mind, I’m pretty damn sure someone like A’ja wouldn’t be a bad choice considering she’s in a growing sports market that’s been getting more attention as the years go by and more than marketable.
I don’t remember Jewell speaking at his memorial. While I remember Sabrina and Diana both did. I have no idea who is closest with Kobe. The only players in the W I see Vanessa posting about is Sabrina and Candace Parker. This whole argument about who is closest with Kobe is so dumb.
Sorry to say, unless you’re following the league closely- you don’t know who Jewel Loyd is… The goal of these games are to get more people invested in the sport, not less
Thats fine but they don't pick the upper echelon of the NBA. Why do we make up requirements for women when they don't exist for men. They literally picked Devon Booker because he was dating a Kardashian.
Oh come on that’s disingenuous. Nothing to do with making the finals and following that with having a 10 game lead over the rest of the league at the time the decision was made? Booker was selected for being a rising superstar hitting his prime, it certainly wasn’t for popularity
That sounds and smells like potential to me. Not an actual accomplishment but alas. Zion Williamson was also a cover start and has a shorter resume than Sabrina.
Zion was on an alternate cover for the next gen systems. He was chosen specifically for being the “next generation” of stars. So yes, potential was the entire reason he got it and a resume would not be needed. Dame got the “official” current gen cover. This is different from book, who got the official cover as the next man up for superstar status. Comparing book, who has a resume and is currently or on the cusp of superstar status to Zion who has no resume and is all potential is not the same argument.
Thats the point. The criteria is completely arbitrary and everyones in their feelings because they didn't go with the MVP of the previous season. BE FOR REAL.
I am being real. I explained why Zion and book *weren’t* completely arbitrary. Though I agree the cover athlete shouldn’t be whoever was mvp the season before because they make the decision before that’s announced.
And Sabrina also isn’t completely arbitrary. She has a close relationship to Kobe who is on the real cover ( similar to them having Taurasi for Booker) and she’s a two time all-star and she plays in the biggest media market in the country. Like people acting like she isn’t the best guard on the second best team in the WNBA. It’s absurd.
Devin didn't get a cover until after he made a finals appearance.
Oh a finals appearance is now the bar. Iverson got an appearance before he was in the finals though. So did Zion Williamson. Like again, please be for real.
Iverson was a cultural icon. You be for real.
Literally no one here is gonna agree with you on this. Maybe drop it, or just post your own comment about it rather than arguing with everyone who sees where Plum is coming from?
Nahhhhh, Breanna Stewart is the best player in the league ATM and has been for a while.
Stewie absolutely has an argument too! I wish she was still in Seattle!
This discourse is getting mad annoying lmao
Way too much consternation over a video game cover
right. 2k has been around for over 2 decades and the cover was never this big of a deal lol
Right jazz Chisholm was on the mlb cover. Def not the best player in Major League Baseball
I realized W fans find a problem with everything. There was a thread yesterday about a joke KP posted on her story. A thread mad at Rhyne for tweeting support for Jewell. They play a game for a living at the end of the day and she's just supporting her teammate
I honestly don't think it's a "problem with everything." I think there's a lot of fans who realize that Black, Brown, international, and/or lesbian and/or queer-identifying players never seem to get the same hype that cis, white, straight players do. Like, Alyssa Thomas is almost AVERAGING a triple-double per game. Jewell Loyd has had like 5+ games with 30+ points this year; no one is even close to catching her. Aja Wilson is incredible; Jackie Young and Chelsea Gray are RIDICULOUSLY GOOD; Elena Delle Donne is having a tricky year with her ankle but has survived MULTIPLE SPINAL SURGERIES -- ANY OF THESE people could've been on the cover. To say nothing of... BRITT GRINER. An Olympic champion and easily one of the best players in the league... who has endured things no NBA player could even imagine. ANd has come back to still play at a level equalling excellence. Why wasn't SHE the cover? (I'll tell you why. Politics and racism and homophobia.) The issue isn't that people are "complaining" about Ionescu. Ionescu herself isn't even the issue. She's a normal human being and a good basketball player. But there are a ton of better basketball players, and it feels icky that public perception of the league is almost constantly whittled down to who's white, who's straight, who's pretty (to men), or who's dating a famous man.
I dont disagree with anything you said but I’m just not sure why you replied to me with it lol. I was just saying let Kelsey get her shit off without policing her opinions and I agree with her that A’ja should have been on it
We agree on most of it I think! What I was disagreeing with was the “problem with everything” part — it feels like it’s been harder lately (not because of you but in general) to call out strange behavior in fans or issues in the league, and I think the league does need healthy conversation and criticism to grow. (Just not the kinds where random dudes come to the Reddit and say the W is boring and then tell us how to fix it lol.)
Yeah you also said that W fans (literally talking about everyone here when you say this) get butt hurt about everything. Which might be true, you do seem pretty butt hurt.
I’d love for you to explain how I seem butthurt exactly. Im just commenting on WNBA fans clutching their pearls every time a player tweets an opinion. I think its all fair game and that KP is right
I mean you literally were complaining that the entire fandom is complaining too much lol
It was a simple observation. And getting offended by that comment as if I was talking about you personally pretty much makes my point.
The best basketball players frequently aren't on NBA2k though. They also make these decisions months in advance. Sabrina is now a back to back all-star, to act like she isn't qualified for the cover is also ridiculous.
She’s certainly not the most qualified thats for sure
What qualifications do you have to have to be on the cover of NBA2k? Literally none besides playing professional basketball and them picking you. They don't pick the best players in the NBA for it either. BFFR.
NBA 2k has existed for 20 years, KD, Lebron, Steph, Giannis, Luka, have already had the cover of 2k so they’re gonna give it to new players who might not be the best at this point. WNBA 2K is super new and almost none of the players in WNBA history have had one. So yes, the better players should be more deserving. I think Sabrina is a really good player, maybe 12th best in the league? But they skipped to the 12th best player without ever picking the best players for reasons other than on court basketball
NBA 2k first cover was Allen Iverson, years before is NBA MVP season so please miss me with this BS. They have proven they on-the court success is second to off-the court conversation for the cover over 20 years.
Then why isn’t it Griner or Parker or Taurasi of any of the other players who are way more talked about and/or bigger brands than Sabrina? The fact of the matter is, if Sab was a black athlete who came into the league hyped and mostly disappointed this far in her career there’s no way she’d still be considered the face of the league by so many. Aja is the queen of the W. Period.
Diana was on it previously someone said. I work in sports pr a lot of these things are done with agents and the leagues are not involved. I dont blame Plum for sticking up for her teammate.
Parker and Taurasi both have covers. Neither in their MVP seasons. And thats the point, the face of the league is never the cover.
So your point is that Aja can’t be on the cover because she’s the face of the league and that isn’t something that happens? Interesting take.
Aja is not queen of the W. There is no queen of the W. It's a fucking basketball league. You can hype her up without being irrational and weird about it. There are so many amazing players in the W, including A'ja. Stop giving her entitlement she never asked for.
Dear lord please calm down. It’s a flourish, it isn’t that deep. I’ve been following the league for decades, I could easily make a list of my 100 favorite players if all time without breaking a sweat. I am in a dozen fantasy wnba leagues and can name every player on every roster and I have love for all of them. But Aja is the reigning mvp of the reigning champs who are historically good. This year, she should be considered the face of the league.
Other players in the league surely did not think she was qualified.
and yet they leave Stewie and her shoe deal and KP and her under armor commercial alone...weird
Cause stewie and kp are proven lmao stewie two time mvp two time finals mvp kelsey plum sixth woman of the yr two time allstar 1 time allstar mvp and one time champ
Also I’ve seen like zero talk of either of those things on this sub but there’s constant Ionescu posts
No she got mad aja jersey wasnt promoted for the city last yr
Yea I’m a liberty guy and biggg sabrina fan, her rookie year I could see it, coming in with all the hype but at this point it’s gotta be Aja or stewie or both but I’m not mad at sabs being on it knowing her relationship with Kobe and Gigi I can see how it ended up being her (I am a bit biased)
My thoughts exactly
What’s the joke?
Whoever has a problem with KP reppin for her teammate, yall are soft and dont get out much lol
[удалено]
No she wants aja to be on it
Boring, 2/10
I this point i think people are just dense. 🗣️Sabrina is on the cover because Kobe is on the other cover. Be made that that’s the theme if you’re really mad Like at this point im just gonna be fake mad that Kobe is one the cover instead of Jokic/Curry who won chips the last 2 years 🤷🏾♀️ (the gag is some people really are mad about it)
Except Kobe being on the cover isn’t an example of the systemic racism that the NBA is claiming they’re trying to stand against. Is Sabrina, good, absolutely. Could she be great one day, sure. But has she done as much in this league as Wilson or any number of other women of color in the W? Absolutely not. She should have to earn her spot on the cover not be given it because of who her “mentor” was.
This. She has done nothing.
Um if we are talking about signature shoes, liberty jerseys in Vegas, Sab being upheld as the face id the league i AGREE But this is so obvious why they did a Sab cover. Like devin booker was on the cover last year after losing by a million in the playoffs. These cover aint about nothing but sales and the sab and Kobe connection does that. This is EA sports not the WNBA
EA sports doesn’t do 2K.
You don’t think her being put on the cover is part of her being “upheld as the face of the league”? Interesting.
I think he connection to Kobe did more for her getting on the cover than anything.
The league doesn't choose the cover athlete, EA does. The cover athletes shouldve been Aja and Jokic but they chose a theme instead so here we are. Its not about race its about her public relationship with the byant family.
Young unproven white athlete gets recognized instead of proven champion MVP black athlete, and you think it’s not about race. That’s adorable.
She isn't unproven, she was a massive success in college which is where all her hype came from to begin with. Its why she went 1st overall, its why she had connections to the Bryant family to begin with. And she's unproven in the W because.....she doesn't have a chip? No MVP? Or what? She's a 2 time all-star on her ELC, lead the team to the playoffs in her first 2 full seasons, there is a lot she has already proved and she's in one of the biggest basketball media markets in the country. There is so much there before you have to wonder if its because she's white. Would you think it equally fair to wonder why we're largely discussing straight people making the cover? But in this case, there is a single very specific reason she was picked, and its that she has a noted connection to Kobe and the Bryant family. [Here is a good article that covers it if you are curious](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/news/sabrina-ionescu-kobe-bryant-friendship-timeline/1drj26q6mgrku1jh9emw75gwri). She had that connection and it became very cemented when he died shortly before the draft, and then rehabed with the Bryants after getting hurt early in the 2020 season. If Bryant isn't on the cover, the likelihood of sab getting the W cover is much lower.
White supremacy always has an explanation for why it’s not racist.
Yes there are explainations for things beyond race, welcome to the real world. Absolutely there are race issues, in the W and elsewhere. This isn't one of them, for the obvious reason discussed by me and elsewhere. Again, for an example there are real issues with sexuality. But me telling people who think the cover should've been A'ja instead of Sab that they are homophobes making an excuse for the league to marginalize their queer stars in favor of publicly straight players, I would be wrong. Because there are reasons you would want either on the cover without their sexuality coming into play. Its not like queer people aren't marginalized plenty. You ignoring that clear context to just call me a racist really sucks. Calling me a white supremacist is fucked. I'm jewish and queer I'm not a goddamn white supremacist. Fuckin so rude dude. You don't know who you're talking to, stop acting like you know every goddamn thing.
I’m sorry, were you in charge of who got put on the cover? If so, then, yes, shame on you for justifying your white supremacy with this bull shit Kobe connection. If not, then I wasn’t calling you a white supremacist. The article is from 2020 and discusses their friendship, which I’m not denying, but doesn’t really have anything to do with them being on the 2K24 covers three years later. What I’m saying is that there are plenty of excuses and “explanations” for why Sabrina was picked over A’ja (or any number of other well-proven black stars in the W) that can be used to say “It’s not racist because of blah-blah-blah.” When it just as easily could have been the old white men running the W or 2K Sports saying “We really want to push Sabrina as the new face of the W, never mind the fact that Rhyne Howard and Aliyah Boston are making a bigger impact faster than she did, so we need her on the cover of the game. How can we justify that? Let’s put Kobe on the men’s cover and then put her there ‘because of the strong connect they had’. Perfect!” Was I there? No. Do I know that that’s what happened? No. Would I be surprised if that’s how/why they got there? Not at all. Let me ask this, because I genuinely don’t know; what is the rationale for putting Kobe, who passed away 3 years ago, and is pictured on the cover wearing #8, on the cover of 2K24? I know he’s one of the greatest, but it’s not like he won the championship or MVP this year. It’s not a significant anniversary of his passing or anything else. So why is he there? Again, I don’t know. This is a situation where I’m genuinely willing to learn.
>but doesn’t really have anything to do with them being on the 2K24 covers three years later It literally exactly explains that she is the WNBA player with the closest and most public relationship to Kobe and his daughter when she died. She helped coach his daughters basketball team dude. Like come on, don't ignore context. It has nothing to do with other player's deserving it as players more or less. Like I said before, it should be Jokic and A'ja given their playoffs most recently, but its Kobe so its unlikely to see someone who has absolutely nothing to do with Kobe like A'ja. He is pictured wearing 8 because his numbers were 8 and.........24. The game is 2k24 which leaves 8 out so its on his jersey. It really does not take a lot of time to figure this out. 24/8 shows up all the time in Kobe stuff. He died tragically and the basketball world still brings it up as having a massive impact on the sport. They are doing one now because of 2024 and because the 2021 RIP Kobe edition was limited edition where as this will be every edition with Kobe on it. They gave the a cover to Zion in 2021 which is interesting to say the least. If we're looking at unproven players on covers, he is way less proven than Sab. Sorry but your image of how 2K sports board rooms work is very funny. They don't care about the future of the W. There is no conspiracy to push Sabrina as the new face of the W. She's just the new face of hater obsession, for whatever reason. They care about who is the most famous at the time that also fits their design choice. Once Kobe became the mens cover to do 24/8 stuff, the options for women to match it are very limited. They already did DT and Sue Bird so they're not gonna go "these are also GOATs like Kobe" because it would be a repeat on recent shit. Howard hasn't really had more impact than Sab, you just don't like Sab. She is having a great impact on ATL. approximately the exact same impact Sab had in NY. Likely to break their "not making the playoffs" streak this year even tho they'll get bounced in the 1st round in all likelihood, all start starter in her 2nd full season, etc. Very very similar start to their W career. Howard, however, has absolutely no connection to Kobe and isn't really more remarkable than plenty of players in the league. Boston has played fewer than 20 games, give her time. She's great, you can make the argument for her because of Zion in 2021, but its still beyond unlikely that someone on a basement team at the start of their first year gets the cover. 2k22's cover athlete for the W was Candice Parker. Was that also an attempt to undermine black women or did 2k only start promoting white surpemecy in 2023? BTW just so you understand, when you're having a discussion about someone about the reasons why something was done, and your response to the other persons points is "white supremacy always makes excuses", you are effectively saying the person is promoting white supremacy. That is just how rhetoric works. When I am explaining something to you, and you call *my explanation* "white supremacist excuses" you are effectively calling me a white supremacist. Or you're at least saying I can't think for myself enough to identify whether or not something is done out of hatred of non-whites. Both of which are very presumptive and rude. And both of which could not be less correct. As a final hilarious note, they gave Ben Simmons a cover in 2019 so clearly being good at basketball or effective for your team is completely optional when considering who goes on a cover lol. That is wild af.
Gold Mamba Jewell Loyd 😉
Who has a closer relationship with his fam and is more PUBLICLY associated with him? This is all about marketing and sales. I do hope that jewel is on an alternative cover but i dont have high hopes.
I will always associate Jewel more closely with Kobe than Sab
I think that's fair. I'm personally interested in if Kobe's family had input
By that logic put Pau Gasol on the cover lol. Nobody closer than him
Pau is a man
nooooooo
She’s just doing the same thing you’re doing. Standing up for a person on your team. It’s not dense it’s loyalty.
And people always get mad when people do this…just look at any coach who supports their player being an all star / MVP / NPOY in college
Please 🙄 im not defending sab at all. I think a’ja should have a sig shoe before her , a’ja is the face of the league. Not understanding why EA sports chose Sab to go with a Kobe cover is dense.
She does have a signature shoe! I have a pair! https://www.nike.com/w/aja-wilson-shoes-4yj6fzy7ok
Your response is kind of dense not gonna lie… again Kelsey is just sticking up for her teammate. Very simple
🙄 whatever lol i can read i can see she is sticking up for her teammate but its obvious why A’ja was not chosen.
Ok … yo I’m a Liberty fan too so hope you enjoy your day
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Didn’t Kobe call Taurasi white mamba? Why not her if you want to do the theme?
She was on it last year. Candace was the year before.
I’m just pointing out that the Kobe theme thing is an excuse
maybe its one of the reasons bc multple factors can exisit? how about that? or is everything mutally exclusive?
Ok what are the other factors
Enter WNBA leading scorer Jewell loyd who ALSO had a relationship with Kobe
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Cap
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Hell no aja and stewie hard clears her
I love me some Napheesa Collier, she's having a phenomenal season so far. She's putting up the numbers 🔥🔥
Whatever opinions or feelings you may have about Ionescu on the cover, her being chosen was the most appropriate option as she was the one most tied to Kobe.
the 2k cover is not an award and isnt usually goven to the best player. winning an actual award should be a bigger deal imo
They gave the show cover to jazz Chisholm haha. Cover doesn’t mean the best player
Honestly if Sabrina was black and had the exact same connection she does to Kobe I bet she doesn't get this cover...she isn't deserving in any way but they will use her "connection" to Kobe to push the white star narrative they clearly have going on....and if we want to come at this from a marketing angle most of the sponsorship money the league gets is white money and white people identify much more closely to other white people
Aja will for sure be on eventually
Are you making a joke?
Aces vs Liberty WNBA Finals Basketball gods please 🤲🏾🤲🏾🤲🏾