Exclusive: Ronnie 2K talks SGA as NBA 2K26 cover athlete, 98 overall rating, Thunder, more

USA Today

5 hours ago

In the middle of the driest part of the NBA calendar, NBA 2K has taken advantage of the lack of a news cycle. They slowly rolled out their top 100 overall-rated players for the upcoming Sept. 5 release date of NBA 2K26.
This year's video game edition has plenty of Oklahoma City Thunder representation. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the NBA 2K26 cover athlete. They also have five players among the top 100. That shouldn't be a surprise. After all, they had one of the greatest seasons ever with a historic 68-14 regular-season record and a Larry O'Brien trophy.
At the top is Gilgeous-Alexander. After he brought home the MVP and NBA Finals MVP, he's tied with Nikola Jokic for the highest-rated player at 98 overall. That's fair, as both players have finished top two in MVP voting for the last two seasons.
To reflect on Gilgeous-Alexander, the Thunder and NBA 2K26, Ronnie Singh — better known as Ronnie 2K — talked to Thunder Wire. Here is that interview, which was lightly edited for clarity and brevity:
On making Gilgeous-Alexander the 2K26 cover athlete
"Yeah, I mean, what a no-brainer in a lot of ways. Looking back now, obviously coming off a massively successful season, leading the league in points, putting out numbers across the board, winning an MVP and winning a championship. And then having celebrated this championship massively over the course of the offseason.
"I mean, there is no bigger story than Shai and what a partner. When we talked last year, I was saying, 'That's a guy that's on a very short list of covers.' I think I even said, like, 'He will definitely be a cover star at some point in the course of his career.'
"If I had told you it was going to be the very next year, I don't know. But I'm so excited for Shai, for all the success, obviously, beyond 2K. The big story is the Thunder with us and a lot of the guys that are highly rated. Shai really is top of the list, in the news cycle, and being a great partner for us for 2K26."
On if Gilgeous-Alexander campaigned for himself to be the 2K cover athlete
"I think he's been campaigning for a cover for three years. I mean, even before he was a 90-rated player in our game, I think he saw the trajectory. That campaign obviously continued. But I mean, ultimately it starts with the work on the court and like the performance. By Christmas time, it was clear that he was head and shoulders above the rest of the league in terms of our consideration.
"It became obvious that it was time to coordinate him. He is such a big fan. He will remind me all the time about his play in the park, wanting to do this, wanting to be a big part of it, wanting to work on all the elements in the game.
"He's got his handprints all over 2K26. I'm happy to discuss that. But really, just what a great partner to be on our cover, especially with all the success he had this past year."
On Gilgeous-Alexander being in the 98 overall club with Jokic
"I mean the magnitude of his numbers. It's not even just obviously the offensive ones. You know, he is a 98, which is right behind Jokic. He's the top 10 in mid-range at No. 5 with a 97, but people kinda sleep on his defensive abilities.
"He's right there at 10th on an over-90 steal rating. He is just kinda a force of nature on both sides of the court. That's what the rating is really gonna take into play. Like all these combinations of mini-ratings add up to this big number.
"He's just playing at an all-world level. I'm sure now, knowing him the way that I do, he's somehow made a chip on his shoulder to get to it at a 99 rating. I would not put him past it. This guy started at a 74 in his first year and has grown so remarkably and incrementally. Every single season has been pretty remarkable."
On the Thunder having 5 representatives in the top 100 rated players
"I mean, the level of talent is pretty insane. There are a couple of guys on that team that would start anywhere else, like Isaiah Joe. I feel like he would be a starter anywhere else, and he's barely cracking 20 minutes. They just have a really strong team. They have a great front office. I don't need to speak about this because it's obviously well-documented. They're set up for long-term success. They got a great No. 2 in J-Dub. He is an amazing player as well. So yeah, they're a lot of fun to watch, and they're going to be fun for a long time."
On Jalen Williams having a 90 overall rating and his playoff performance
"I don't know if his playoff run contributed dramatically. I think that just actually probably put him in the eyeballs of more casual NBA fans. That it wasn't just the Shai Show. That he had his Robin to his Batman. J-Dub has been a very good player for a long time. Shai didn't have very many poor games, but whenever there was a game where he wasn't his total automatic 30-point standard, J-Dub was right there. It's going to be amazing to watch. These guys are so young, and it's going to be so much fun to watch them. The upside for J-Dub being a 90 and being able to go up from there is pretty well known."
On Isaiah Joe having the 5th-best 3-point shot in NBA 2K26
"His per-36 numbers were behind only Steph Curry in the entire league. If he received the minutes, his volume would be nuts. He shot it at a high clip. That guy comes in, and he makes buckets from distance when needed. I think he's the type of guy who would start on pretty much any other squad in the league. But on this very-deep Thunder team, he's relegated to a rotation role, but a very, very important one.
"He's so young, too. So, like, it's going to be remarkable to see how he fits into their long-term plans. At some point, it's obviously well documented, salary cap starts factoring in. But they're a lot of fun, and they've got a lot of really good players."
On the Thunder's defense and depth
"They're kinda the ultimate 2K team. I mean, they got a guy who protects the rim in Chet. They got a guy that can come in and shoot threes when you're behind or when you want to create some separation. They got four or five guys that are total ball-hawks. I think they have four or five guys in the top 10 in steals. If I'm not mistaken, three of those top 10 are the highest steal-rated guys in the league.
"They kinda do it all. They're going to be hard to figure out. I don't know which team will put together all the answers to beat the Thunder four out of seven times this upcoming year. They have to be the prohibitive favorite again."