And death is no barrier for this particular career, with two popular games this year choosing sports legends who are no longer with us
LA Lakers basketball star Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter accident in 2020, graces the cover of "NBA 2K24". Image: ED Jones / AFP©
The post-retirement careers of the biggest sports stars can be fascinating to watch—Viagra ads, property ventures, crypto projects—but one option is becoming a sure-fire winner: put your face on the cover of a video game.
And death is no barrier for this particular career, with two popular games this year choosing sports legends who are no longer with us.
LA Lakers basketball star Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter accident in 2020, graces the cover of "NBA 2K24".
And two of the world's greatest footballers from bygone eras—Pele and Johan Cruyff—get posthumous respect with their figures emblazoned on "FC 24" from EA Sports.
They are joined on the cover of the EA game by a galaxy of still-living stars of the more recent past—Zinedine Zidane and Ronaldinho—and present—Erling Haaland and Alexia Putellas.