Dallas Mavericks icon Dirk Nowitzki is on the 2K22′s NBA 75th Anniversary edition cover. He is joined by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Kevin Durant. Apart from them, 22-year-old Mavericks star Luka Doncic will feature on the covers of NBA 2K22‘s standard edition as well as on its Cross-Gen Bundle.

“A huge honor for me, of course, with Kevin Durant and Kareem, some of the best to have ever played the game,” Nowitzki told media outlets. He added: “You have Luka on the real cover, so two Mavs at the same time on the cover, which is super special.”

Last year’s 2K21 standard cover featured Damian Lillard and Zion Williamson and the previous year’s cover featured Anthony Davis.

Since NBA 2K‘s debut in 1999, there have been 38 standard and special edition and spin-off covers and none of them had Mavericks on the covers.

In the 2K19 cover, Greece’s Giannis Antetokounmpo featured. Other Europeans who have been on special edition covers corresponding to their native country are Marc and Paul Gasol (Spain), Dennis Schroder (Germany), Tony Parker (France) and Danilo Gallinari (Italy).

“That’s been fun to watch, the evolution of course of the European players, but globally, as well. I think the game is in great hands. There are so many great young stars out there that are going to carry this league for a long time,” Nowitzki said.

“There’s great European stars that are fun to watch, with Luka and Giannis and Jokic and many, many more. It’s just fun to watch how skilled the game is now,” he added.

Nowitzki made his NBA debut in 1999 and was apprehensive if he was a strong enough player to last in the NBA.

“Not really knowing that I could make it in this league, not knowing whether I was good enough, strong enough, skilled enough, and to sit here over 20 years later, and be on the cover of the Legends 2K game, it’s been a wild ride. An amazing ride,” the Maverick star said.

“I’m so happy that it worked out that way and I got to stay in Dallas my entire career. I think that was very important and something I can always look back on and with one franchise. Super happy, super proud, obviously, over the two decades, what I was able to accomplish,” he said.

The cover of the basketball simulation video game has also featured Chicago Sky forward Candace Parker.

“Extremely proud and humbled to be the first female cover athlete in the history of @NBA2K I’m honored to work with a company that’s investing in women and betting on us to succeed. I’m hopeful there will be many more badass females to follow,” she said in a statement.

 The NBA 2K22 will hit the stores in September this year.