As part of revealing the new cover athlete, 2K Sports has launched a new community web site where registered participants can predict the cover athlete for NBA 2K9 from a selection of 16 NBA players. Fans who predict correctly will be entered into a special drawing for the opportunity to win exclusive prizes.

“We’re extremely excited to offer this online promotion to our loyal community of 2K Sports fans, as we think it’s a fantastic opportunity for us to interact more closely with them through a refreshingly fun and rewarding experience,” said Christoph Hartmann, president of 2K. “The NBA 2K franchise is king among basketball players and passionate fans who know and understand basketball. Revealing our cover athlete prior to Game One affords us a unique opportunity to capitalize on the anticipation surrounding the NBA Finals while simultaneously generating excitement for the release of NBA 2K9.”

To enter in the NBA 2K9 cover athlete reveal sweepstakes, participants must register from May 22 - June 4. Official contest rules and other important information can be found on www.2ksports.com/nba2k9. Fans will guess the NBA 2K9 cover athlete from a list of NBA players provided, and all entrants that are correct will be entered into a random drawing to win the sweepstakes prizes on June 5. One grand prize winner will receive the NBA 2K9 cover athlete’s authentic, autographed NBA jersey, along with a copy of NBA 2K9 on the platform of their choice. Ten other first prize winners will also receive a copy of NBA 2K9. All winners will receive their copy of NBA 2K9 upon release of the game.

The 2008 NBA Finals are currently scheduled to tip off on June 5 at 8:30 p.m. EST on ABC.

NBA 2K9, developed by Visual Concepts, is not yet rated by the ESRB and will be available this fall for Xbox 360, PS3, and PS2.