NBA 2K has slowly morphed its way into a staple of the basketball community and it always brings plenty of hype with its cover. With the 20th anniversary of the game having passed, we thought we'd rank all the covers from over the years.

RANKING MADDEN COVERS

RANKING 2K COVERS

A reminder that this list doesn't include the Legendary Edition covers (e.g. LeBron's 2k19 cover & Kobe's 2K17 cover), most of which are incredible.

20. 2K8 (Chris Paul)

This wasn't necessarily a bad cover and Chris Paul was a good athlete choice, however it didn't really offer much. It's a pretty simple design and considering the time and potential avenues they could have gone down, it was a little bit disappointing. Plain Chris and his 2K8 cover are sadly at the bottom of the pile.

19. 2K7 (Shaquille O'Neal)

Shaquille O'Neal was a power player, dominating around the rim and throwing down dunks regularly. So, why on earth have you got one of the most destructive players in the history of the league attacking off the dribble. If it was while he was posting up (see No. 16), we could understand but surely you get an image of him hanging off the rim after a monster stuff, or something along those lines. 2K7 was an excellent game (this writer's first real venture into the 2K franchise in fact), however the cover didn't quite deliver.

18. 2K2 (Allen Iverson)

One of five Allen Iverson covers, however 2K2 is the lowest ranked of the bunch. Similar to the Chris Paul cover, it's not as if it was bad, it just lacked the flair and excitement that comes with the game. It took a similar path to the 2K19 cover in regards to the background but failed to really hit the mark.

17. 2K15 (Kevin Durant)

After the epic LeBron James 2K14 cover, Kevin Durant's artwork failed to build on the hype. There was plenty that could have been done with the background and streetball-style feel that encompassed half the image, however KD was seemingly just plonked in the middle of the cover.

16. 2K6 (Shaquille O'Neal)

Poor old Shaq, the guy is an icon (and a genie!) yet has gotten two pretty average 2K covers. 2K6 was slightly better than its successor, however it didn't represent the power, grunt, and just brute strength that all basketball fans think of when they see the great man.

15. 2K1 (Allen Iverson)

Not the most amazing follow-up from the original 2K cover. AI still looked good on the cover, but it wasn't a game-changer by any means.

14. 2K17 (Paul George)

The sixth year of a really similar style of front cover and by this stage it had probably gotten a bit stale. An angry looking Paul George is always a good front cover image, however 2K fans were ready for a change.

13. 2K13 (Griffin, Durant & Rose)

The first time three athletes have featured on the front cover and it was a solid effort. Similar feel to the 2K12 cover from the year before and three exciting young players all in the limelight. A decent offering for 2K13.

12. 2K3 (Allen Iverson)

A signature image of AI and an early foray into what covers would look like in the future. The black and white colour scheme meant it lost some of it's appeal, but the classic Iverson image saves it from slipping further down the rankings.

11. 2K18 (Kyrie Irving)

Perhaps stiff not to be higher, as the 2K18 cover was excellent. Another change from the red background that they had run with for multiple years before, but a good change indeed. Interestingly with Kyrie Irving changing teams, 2K delivered two different covers, both still very strong though.

10. 2K16 (James Harden)

Similar to 2K19 in regards to its background imagery, however 2K16 used pictures instead of words. This was one of three covers but we thought the Harden one was the best of the trio. The background added another element to the cover, and allowed it to just squeeze into the top 10.

9. 2K4 (Allen Iverson)

The cover of 2K4 went a different direction to what went before it. A simpler approach and the first artwork that featured a player in street clothes. When you got this game it felt like you were really buying into something awesome.

8. 2K5 (Ben Wallace)

The attitude and aggression that Ben Wallace brought to the hardwood was perfectly represented in his 2K5 cover. It was a time that NBA Live still held the power in the basketball gaming landscape, so putting someone who was hard-nosed, aggressive and a fan favourite was a great move from the folk at 2K Sports.

7. 2K11 (Michael Jordan)

MJ's first 2K cover appearance, and it was so good that he also featured the year after. The patented tongue out and the famous No. 23, seriously how could you not love it.

6. 2K14 (LeBron James)

Iconic is the word that comes to mind when you see this cover. LeBron had just gone back-to-back at the Miami Heat and made his first appearance on either an NBA Live or 2K cover in epic fashion. The game also featured a one-off game mode where you took control of LeBron's career.

5. NBA 2K (Allen Iverson)

The first, the OG... how could it not be high up. The move of going with the controversial "outlaw" figure of Allen Iverson was a big move that set the tone for the rest of the franchise. Credit to 2K Sports for getting it right early and making a statement.

4. NBA 2K19 (Giannis Antetokounmpo)

The newest edition of the NBA 2K franchise has a killer cover that once again changes the game. Giannis Antetokounmpo is the first international player to feature on the standard edition of the game and as you can see in the image above, has words and phrases that are of importance to him featuring beside him on the cover.

3. 2K10 (Kobe Bryant)

According to statistics, this was the year that 2K really(!) took over the basketball gaming landscape, practically doubling NBA Live 10's sales across Xbox 360 and PS3. They did it in epic fashion with 'The Black Mamba' looking like a boss on the front cover. An awesome cover for an excellent edition of the franchise.

2. 2K9 (Kevin Garnett)

No one quite brought passion to the game like Kevin Garnett. So on the back of the Celtic's championship win in 2008, it just seemed right to have 'The Big Ticket' thumping his chest in emphatic fashion on the front cover. #iconic

1. 2K12 (Michael Jordan)

There were three different covers for 2K12, one with Larry Bird, the other with Magic Johnson, but of course the best of them all had MJ on the front. 2K had begun its move into the basketballing vernacular by this stage and therefore it was only right that it kept up with the ever-evolving culture and delivered an epic design for the 2K12 cover art. You just can't beat the GOAT... yes, I'll say it again, the GOAT.