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Michael Jordan Will Be On the Cover of NBA 2K11

Somewhere, perhaps on his yacht, Lebron James is crying.

It's bordering on absurd and even the vice president of 2K marketing seems to know it. Michael Jordan, one of the most beloved and digitally underutilized NBA players of all time, will grace the cover of NBA 2K11 according to a CNBC report. 

"We've made a lot of progress over the past 10 years, but we know we have the best NBA videogame ever made here," 2K's marketing dude Jason Argent told CNBC (via Kotaku). "So we thought to ourselves how can we embody that and there was only one person on that list who we wanted to have and that was Michael Jordan. Actually getting this done is the most ridiculous win of all-time."

 Gotta love those NBA 2K9 modders.
 Gotta love those NBA 2K9 modders.
Jordan, at one point, had a deal with EA that kept him from inking other deals with publishers. As a result, dude wasn't in too many games. He was a "legend" in a handful of NBA Live titles and appeared in some as a regular roster player. He also froze basketballs and rescued fellow NBA players in his own game.

This confirmation proves a late-May rumor true, but it doesn't completely seal the deal. In the ESPN report that kicked off the gossip, further rumors suggested that Jordan would be playable and 2K was looking to sign both teammates and opponents of Jordan.

Argent didn't want to talk about how Jordan will appear in the game. He dodged with a "some really good surprises" line. Jordan, in a statement, didn't mention more than digitization. "It's an honor to be featured on the cover of NBA 2K11," he said. "I have no doubt that [it] will be a big hit with gamers and basketball fans alike. I'm looking forward to getting back on the court, virtually."     
 
Jordan is currently the majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats. That was probably an accident. NBA 2K11 will hit this October 5.

79 Comments

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FesteringNeon

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Edited By FesteringNeon

Sweet. I'm actually pumped about this. Haven't bought a basketball game since NBA 2K5, but this might bring me back! AIR JORDAN FTW!
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copycatzen

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Edited By copycatzen

Will buy it!
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copycatzen

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Edited By copycatzen
@fillmoejoe said:

" @ComixZone said:

" @Travis: haha nope, last time I watched any NBA was back when White Chocolate and Webber were ripping it up for Sacramento and Dikembe was wagging fingers. "

Do you mean the Vanilla Thrilla: Jason Williams? I loved the Kings back in the 2000s.
Keepin' it real.
Keepin' it real.
"

JW is still playing, so what else could you ask for, MJ and JW on the same court. 
 
I find weird this: 
JW "almost=" MJ (Inverted)
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lmenzol

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Edited By lmenzol

i wonder if he'll be a mentor on my player mode or maybe he'll just be in the stands during bobcat games

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GameGuy27

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Edited By GameGuy27

Nothing but Net.

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JasonDaPsycho

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Edited By JasonDaPsycho
@Claude: 
Dennis Rodman is in 2K10 I think.
So is Scottie Pippen.
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Claude

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Edited By Claude
@JasonDaPsycho said:
" @Claude:  Dennis Rodman is in 2K10 I think. So is Scottie Pippen. "
I didn't know that. I'm still playing College Hoops 2K8. For some reason, I like college sports games better. But it still would be cool to have the full Chicago Bulls teams to play with including Michael Jordan. I might buy that game.
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deactivated-5ffc9b71f33ff

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Day one, just for bringing them back. Bring the 90's teams to their full glory. At least all of the players, when Pipen and Jordan were the best.

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deactivated-61665c8292280

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@jakob187 said:
" @Mamba219: You said Kareem, right?  I'm not denying the abilities that Kareem had - 38,000+ points in a career without the benefit of 3's is impressive as fuck.  However, Jordan also retired multiple times, so his chances were blown of ever topping that.  Had he NOT retired multiple times, he would've SHATTERED Kareem's record.  Jordan DOES however hold the record for highest score average per game, which is personally more impressive to me than playing for 20 years and accumulating a shitload of points because you're 7'2" with the ability to dunk.  Even then, Jordan dunked FROM THE FREE THROW!!!  Sure, Kareem had that hook.  He's also 7'2", whereas Jordan is 6'6".  A man who is 6'6"...dunking from the free throw line.  The amount of momentum that a guy has to have to be able to even fucking accomplish that is staggering.  Kareem was center, while Jordan was guard.  Kareem was the star of the show for the Bucks and Lakers, while Jordan was a full-on team player.  Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman...the entire team of the Bulls at the time that Jordan was playing was nigh unstoppable, and it wasn't just because of Jordan.  Then again, I think it's also pertinent to point out that when Jordan was on the Bulls, they ran TWO three-peats!!! In the end, trying to compare those two in any form of fair manner is just not possible.    Also, Jordan IS the most awarded (read: achievements) player in the NBA.  That is not my opinion.  That's a proven fact.  If you can provide me with a link that would prove that otherwise, then I'd be more than willing to look at it. "
I'm not going to defend the "Kareem as Greatest Ever" argument, but I am going to retort a lot of the stuff you've been saying. As something of a basketball historian, I can say a lot of this stuff you're claiming is incorrect.   
 
First of all, Kareem was much more a mid-range center than he was a man in the post, though he could play with his back to the hoop just about as well as anyone the league had seen before (or since). His hook was his signature shot, but he had a lethal fifteen-foot jumper from outside the paint. The player you're describing is more akin to a Shaquille O'Neal or a Dwight Howard, but Kareem liked to play off the baseline, which allowed more room for Magic Johnson, a relatively large guard himself, to own the middle of the floor, especially on fastbreaks (Showtime!). Also, Kareem is thirty-fourth all time on the list of assists, so implying that he wasn't an all-around team player is categorically wrong.   
 
Don't forget that Michael abused the dunk his fair share of the time, too. Everyone buys in to the legend of Michael Jordan, the videos of his clutch shooting--and he was clutch--but he scored in the paint just as much as any big man of his day, and he wasn't exactly lights-out from outside the lane. In fact, (gasp!) Kobe Bryant has a better career field goal percentage than Michael Jordan from the perimeter arc, so there have been better shooters in the League. But that's not entirely fair, because Michael's greatness doesn't come entirely from his offense, as people like to think, but from his ability to defend. Jordan had a huge frame for a guy at 6'6''. The guy could play lockdown defense like no one's business. 
 
Claiming Michael is the most decorated player in NBA history is also inaccurate to a point. Bill Russell won eleven titles (to MIchael's six) and five NBA Most Valuable Player awards (Jordan also has five--Kareem has the most with six). The "NBA Finals MVP" award hadn't been envisioned in Russell's era, though, so you could posit the argument that Michael's got more individual bling on that basis, though Russell is almost universally lauded as the greatest defensive player of all time. He's the man who stopped Wilt. And no one remembers that (1960s, lol), but Wilt was a machine.   
 
I want to point out one last thing. Again, there's the myth of Jordan that has persisted and will continue to persist for a long time. People seem to think he carried his Bulls teams to championships. At the end of the day, however, basketball is won by the team, and it wasn't until 1992, when Pippen and Horace Grant contributed huge averages atop Jordan's work, that the Bulls made it past the Eastern Conference Championship and into the NBA Finals. Jordan's career, especially the first half of his career, looks a lot like the career of LeBron James. LeBron is an amazing physical specimen. And he posts huge numbers. But individual success only goes so far. And crediting one guy with the success of a whole team isn't quite fair.  
 
Ultimately, though, it's all about cultural perspective. Jordan popularized basketball for an entire generation, and he did so on a level surpassing even Magic Johnson, who was--in the 80's--probably the most dynamic player the NBA had ever seen. I think it's a fair argument to say Jordan was the best all-around player in the game's history, though he wasn't the best at everything, but the trouble is that Jordan existed in a different time, against different players. We can firmly say Muhammad Ali was the greatest ever because he beat all the next-best guys (except perhaps Tyson). But with the NBA, there are so many diverse talents, and the texture and landscape of the league is changing so frequently that it's really hard to say if he's truly the best of all time. 
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TwoOneFive

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Edited By TwoOneFive

damn they just totally convinced me that nba elite will NOT be bought. im buying nba 2k11 day one this is awesome!!

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toowalrus

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Edited By toowalrus

I want him to be on the cover of the next Baseball game too, and maybe a looney tunes kart racer... I miss Michael Jordan, what has that guy been doing lately?

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SleepyDoughnut

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Edited By SleepyDoughnut
@Sir_Ragnarok:  That was actually a really good read.
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CarolinaFan3515

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Edited By CarolinaFan3515
@Bos1014:  My thoughts exactly.  An Allen Iverson reference of all people?
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Budkin

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Edited By Budkin

I would love to see classic players and rosters going as far back as possible. Having Jordan in the current league in 2011 doesn't really make much sense.

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DawnB

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Edited By DawnB

Where were you in between the original trilogy and the new one with the roughly 20+ Star Wars novels that were written in addition to the various spins offs on TV (holiday special anyone?), comic books and toys?  Star Wars has been a 'property' for a long time now and I'm unsurprised that they are maximizing the # of options out there AND insuring that if one developer gets held up all their eggs aren't in one basket.

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cohmafia

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Edited By cohmafia

Pretty interesting move.

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rawrz

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Edited By rawrz

Nice. Now I can have some Kobe vs Jordan moments.

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PhilESkyline

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Edited By PhilESkyline

Jordan Vs. Bird...you know it's going to happen.

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skrutop

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Edited By skrutop

I grew up in Chicago, watched the Bulls win 6 championships, and even saw Space Jam the week it came out.  So I love MJ (while admitting that he's a total douche).  But why would you put him on the cover of a 2011 basketball game?

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Canadian_Snake

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Edited By Canadian_Snake

It better sport his Hitler mustache he has had lately, if you haven't seen it you should.  It's hilarious.

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peeweeh

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Edited By peeweeh
@fillmoejoe: Love that Image of J-will. love to have that jersey
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peeweeh

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Edited By peeweeh
@Claude: I hope they get rodman. true he needs cash.. so is mike 
 
remember he spent a fortune buying the 'cats  
a decade ago they cant get him in any nba live games because he asked for too much cash. now hes the cover guy... talk about a change of position 
 
now hes broke and prolly needs cash + the marketing it will bring to his cats, all that box covers will surely make people aware of him again but theyll be disappointed as he wont leave the bench anytime soon
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Frostler

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Edited By Frostler

Lets not live in the past, Danny Granger cover for 2k11!!

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PolyesterPimp

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Edited By PolyesterPimp
@peeweeh: you're clearly unaware the ammount of money he makes from brand jordan then... Nike pays him boatloads of cash every year just to re-release the same product in a different color variant. Jordan, Bo Jackson and Andre Agassi are the sole reasons Nike is the company they are today. In that order in my opinion. Hell the divorce settlement he had with his wife was an unorthodox number and he reacted like it was nothing. Jordan is far from broke is the point im making and not from NBA money alone. Its called endorsements.
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deactivated-61665c8292280

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@SleepyDoughnut said:
" @Sir_Ragnarok:  That was actually a really good read. "
Thanks, duder. I have an unhealthy passion for the NBA. Unhealthy. 
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ravensword

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Edited By ravensword

I wasnt aware MJ was still relevant to Basketball besides shoes.
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deactivated-61665c8292280

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@Raven_Sword said:
" I wasnt aware MJ was still relevant to Basketball besides shoes. "
Continually relevant. Perhaps more relevant now, in the age of Kobe and LeBron, than he was in his day. 
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ravensword

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Edited By ravensword
@Sir_Ragnarok: 
 
Why? unless people were comparing Lebron adn Kobe to MJ. what does Kobe and Lebrone have to do with MJ?
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deactivated-61665c8292280

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@Raven_Sword: Yeah, that's just it. Jordan's shadow hovers over the present iteration of the NBA pretty tangibly. We're still in a refractory period, if you will, where we're looking for the next great star to carry the league. Kobe's not going to be that star, even though his talent is comparable to Jordan--if not greater in some areas--and LeBron has a chance to be that living emblem.  
 
But no one has been as iconic as Jordan. And the League is still hungry for that icon.