Who is on the standard cover of NBA 2K18?

Kyrie Irving is on the standard cover of NBA 2K18.

When NBA 2K18 was announced, Irving was still a member of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and the first cover artwork showed him in a Cavaliers uniform. He was traded to the Boston Celtics before the game's release, so 2K issued revised standard-cover art showing him in a Celtics uniform. The player remained the cover athlete despite the team change.

The confusion comes from NBA 2K18 having several editions and regional variants. Shaquille O'Neal appeared on the Legend Edition covers, Kevin Durant appeared on the Nike Connect Special Edition, and DeMar DeRozan was featured on the Canadian version. Those alternatives do not change the answer for the regular, standard edition.

NBA 2K18 was released in September 2017 and was the first game in the series released for Nintendo Switch. It was also the final NBA 2K title released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.