Indiana Fever standout Caitlin Clark is set to appear on the cover of the NBA 2K27 Deluxe Edition, but the reveal quickly sparked debate because many fans said the artwork barely looked like her.
Clark’s inclusion on a global NBA 2K cover was widely celebrated by fans of the WNBA and the video game franchise. Still, much of the online reaction focused on the image itself, with critics arguing that the rendering appeared overly artificial, with some comparing it to CGI or AI-generated art.
“Weird to put someone else’s face on her. They don’t do that for NBA cover athletes,” sports journalist Darren Rovell wrote in response to the cover.
Other reactions were even less forgiving, as fans questioned how one of basketball’s most recognizable players ended up with a cover image that many felt missed the mark.
As the New York Post noted, Angel Reese was featured on the cover of the WNBA-specific 2K26 edition last year.
The outlet also pointed out that several major WNBA names have previously appeared on dedicated WNBA covers, including Diana Taurasi, A’ja Wilson and Sabrina Ionescu.
Clark is part of a star-heavy NBA 2K27 cover lineup alongside San Antonio Spurs phenom Victor Wembanyama and former Chicago Bulls MVP Derrick Rose. Wembanyama fronts the standard edition, while the ultra edition features Rose from his Bulls era. Because 2K has not announced a separate WNBA edition, many fans believe the company may be spotlighting Clark through the more prominent NBA 2K27 Deluxe Edition instead.
