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WNBA players, teams will be playable in NBA 2K20

By Nicholas Niendorf

LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 15: Candace Parker #3 of the Los Angeles Sparks high fives Breanna Stewart #30 of the Seattle Storm after the game on May 15, 2016 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 15: Candace Parker #3 of the Los Angeles Sparks high fives Breanna Stewart #30 of the Seattle Storm after the game on May 15, 2016 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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The announcement marks the first time that the WNBA and its players will be featured by the basketball video game franchise.

2K Games revealed that WNBA players and teams will be available for play in the upcoming iteration of NBA 2K.

The gaming company tweeted out the announcement with a trailer Thursday morning. Los Angeles Sparks forward Candace Parker and Seattle Storm center Breanna Stewart are featured heavily in the video, speaking about the significance of adding the league to the franchise.

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All 12 WNBA teams will be featured in the game, as well as more than 140 of the WNBA players who have played this season. Stars like Parker, Stewart and Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson were fully scanned into the game earlier this year.

Wilson and Atlanta Dream guard Renee Montgomery both revealed that they would be featured in the game last February, but the full inclusion of the WNBA had not yet been announced.

Even coaches are part of the game, as Mystics coach Mike Thibault confirmed after Thursday night’s game that he’d gone through the image capturing process.

“I’m sure they got me yelling,” he told reporters.

As of now, the WNBA will be available in play now and season modes. It seems unlikely that WNBA players or teams will be available in MyCareer and MyTeam for this year’s release of NBA 2K.

The company also revealed Stewart’s rating in the game to drum up excitement in the coming month.

EA’s NBA LIVE, the most popular competitor to NBA 2K, had previously added WNBA players two years ago in NBA LIVE 18. NBA 2K, however, provides a far larger consumer base to make the WNBA available to, with last year’s NBA 2K19 selling over nine million copies.

The inclusion of the league should help bolster the WNBA’s growth in the coming year. With the ability to both introduce newcomers to the players and teams of the league, as well as cement longtime fans and those with existing interest, the move is a no-brainer for the WNBA itself.

NBA 2K20 is set to release on September 6 of this year, with early copies launching August 21. Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis is this year’s standard cover athlete while Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade graces the cover of the game’s “Legend” edition.

(Jenn Hatfield contributed reporting to this story.)

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