Victor Wembanyama Becomes Highest-Rated Rookie in 'NBA 2K' History

Expectations for NBA rookie Victor Wembanyama just keep getting higher.

As if being the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NBA draft didn't provide enough pressure, Wembanyama will be the highest-rated rookie in NBA 2K history when the newest edition of the popular video game series comes out this fall. The 19-year-old recently found out his 2K24 rating will be 84 overall. For comparison, LeBron James held a 78 rating ahead of his rookie year.

A video of Wembanyama's reaction was shared on various social media platforms.

"That's nice. That's all right," he said after seeing his rating. The 7-foot-5 center then said he would try to get up to 90 overall by the end of the season.

John Wall (NBA 2K11), Kyrie Irving (2K12) and Zion Williamson (2K20) were previously among the highest-rated rookies in the franchise's history, at 81 overall.

The San Antonio Spurs selected Wembanyama with the first-overall pick in June's draft. The French phenom was considered by many experts to be one of the best draft prospects in recent memory. During the recent French LNB Pro A League regular season, he averaged 21.6 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.0 blocks per game.

Jokić Top-Rated Player in 'NBA 2K24'

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokić's 2023 has already included winning the NBA Finals and Finals MVP. He can now add "top-ranked 2K24" player to his long list of accolades.

2K Sports revealed the 12 highest-rated players in its upcoming game on Wednesday. Jokić claimed the top spot, at 98 overall. "Joker" led the Nuggets to the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference while averaging 24.5 points, 11.8 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game last season. The 6-foot-11 center is coming off five consecutive All-Star seasons.

Just behind the two-time MVP are five players at 96 overall: James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry. Luka Dončić, Jayson Tatum and Jimmy Butler are rated 95, while Kawhi Leonard, Devin Booker and Damian Lillard are all at 94.

James has been rated at least 94 overall in every game since NBA 2K6.

Kobe Honored on 'NBA 2K24' Covers

To celebrate the 25th year of NBA 2K video games, the late Kobe Bryant will grace the cover of 2K24 this fall. There will be two different versions of the game with Bryant on the cover — the "Kobe Bryant edition" and the "Black Mamba edition."

This will be Bryant's fourth time as the NBA 2K cover athlete. The five-time NBA champion was previously on the cover of 2K10, 2K17 and 2K21.