EA SPORTS REVEALS NBA LIVE 14 COVER

Miami Heat's LeBron James' upcoming NBA 2K cover debut will face stiff competition with EA Sports' relaunch of its once-dominant NBA Live series next fall.


The company added some heat to King James and 2K by unveiling its mystery NBA Live 14 cover art Thursday (July 25).

In a year where EA Sports will be introducing games for next generation XBox, the video game maker has selected one of the NBA's brightest young stars as the cover athlete of its upcoming NBA Live 14 game. Cleveland Cavaliers point guardKyrie Irving will grace the cover of the series, which hasn't been published in four years. EA Sports touts a new in-game physics engine that apparently will allow gamers more precision-dribble control than in previous editions. It'll be interesting to see how the game competes against NBA2K14, the latest installment of the segment-leading NBA2K series, which will feature LeBron James on the cover. (USA Today)

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Cavaliers star point guard Kyrie Irving has already released a statement on being the cover feature.

"I'm so proud to be the face of this franchise as it makes its much-anticipated return," Irving said in an EA statement. "I've been on the court with the development team and I've seen first-hand some of the amazing things EA SPORTS is doing with 'NBA LIVE 14.' The fans are going to love it." (Yahoo Sports)Last month, NBA 2K14's first live-action trailer premiered online with James.

LeBron James will be on the cover of NBA2K14, because he is LeBron James. There's a promo video of him talking to his video-game self, because the graphics are really good and you're not supposed to be able to tell the difference, or something. (Sports Grid)LeBron recently explained his motivation for teaming up with the 2K Sports franchise.

"My friends, family and fans all know how much I love NBA 2K," James said in a statement. "I remember, as a kid, getting so excited for the game to come out and see who was on the cover, and it's amazing to be a part of this great tradition. I love partnerships and opportunities that connect me directly with fans. I know from my own experience and now watching my own kids, NBA 2K is among the coolest and purest ways for fans to connect to the NBA. I love being a part of it." (ESPN)