Since his tragic death on January 26, basketball and NBA 2K fans have called to honor the late legend in the next video game series release.

According to his former teammate Hall-of-Famer, the current game character and former NBA 2K cover star multiple times, Shaquille O'Neal, it will happen.

Shaquille O'Neal Believes Kobe Bryant becomes NBA 2K21 Athlete Cover

O'Neal recently spoke to basketball insiders and Brandon Robinson of Heavy.com, and was asked if he wanted to see a special version of NBA 2K21's Kobe Bryant with the proceeds going to one of Mamba's favorite charities.

Neil said, Yes. There will be a Cuban [edition]. You don't have to worry about that. You will definitely be Kobe. I don't know what they will do with the money, but they will do the right thing. The Kobe family is doing the right thing.

O'Neal is not technically an employee or representative of 2K and it is not clear if he is speaking based on internal knowledge, but it is clearly a decision that will be welcomed by most.

When will NBA 2K21 Athlete coverage be announced?

We saw NBA 2K cover ads in early June 1 and late July, just like last year. However, Dwyane Wade cover news leaked a special release in May.

However, it is likely that we will be two months or so away from the official announcement, and depending on how long stores have been closed nationwide due to COVID-19, the inevitable annual leak may be slow.

Is Kobe Bryant on the Standard Edition or on a special cover of NBA 2K21?

It wouldn't be surprising if a crack license was confirmed, and if it is, you can bet Bryant's version will be a special edition. Bryant has been on the cover of the game several times.

The only athlete to be the cover in the United States was on the NBA 2K10, and it also covers the cover of the NBA 2K17 legend. There should be a third cap, and it makes sense to come this summer.