Inside The Thunder

OKC Thunder Superstar, Cover Athlete, Featured in new NBA 2K Commercial

The Oklahoma City Thunder have seen Shai Gilgeous-Alexander grace the cover of the NBA 2K26 video game. The Thunder superstar is heavily featured in the promotional marketing of the game.
Rylan Stiles|
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, NBA 2K26
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, NBA 2K26 | NBA 2K

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Oklahoma City Thunder

What a year it has been for the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander turned in a historic season that can only be compared to the likes of Michael Jordan. The max contract point guard led the OKC Thunder to 68 wins, led the NBA in scoring, bagged his first MVP award, won his first championship, and collected Western Conference and NBA Finals MVP honors.

The efficiency, the leadership and the silky smooth buckets all jump off the page. Along the way during the 2024-25 campaign, the Thunder guard released his first signature shoe (The SHAI 001) and a bevy of colorways to go along with it.

Even the dog days of Summer couldn't stop the fun for Gilgeous-Alexander. After parading around downtown Oklahoma City shirtless with the Larry O'Brien, the superstar inked the largest contract in NBA history to secure his future as a Thunder icon.

Then, a few short weeks later, was named the cover athlete for the NBA 2K26 video game.

As this year's installment of the yearly NBA video game is just around the corner, releasing on Sept. 5, the marketing has begun as preorders open.

On Thursday afternoon, the company released the trailer for the NBA 2K26, which heavily features not only Gilgeous-Alexander but the entire Thunder roster.

Chet Holmgren was shown in the trailer to point out the game's new "greening rebounds" system. Jalen Williams punctuated a lob thrown by Gilgeous-Alexander in the sizzle reel against the NBA Pacers as the game recreates the crowd and feel of the NBA Finals matchup.

The video game promotes this year's game as smoother, faster and more responsive than ever for the user. With the perfect athlete to promote such features.

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Rylan Stiles
RYLAN STILES

Rylan Stiles is a credentialed media member covering the Oklahoma City Thunder. He hosts the Locked On Thunder Podcast, and is Lead Beat Writer for Inside the Thunder. Rylan is also an award-winning play-by-play broadcaster for the Oklahoma Sports Network. 

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