2K Players Were Promised a Great Kobe Bryant Card – And It’s Nowhere to Be Found

What attracts so many people to sports games is the ability to play as the all-time greats. Well, NBA 2K24 just failed to deliver on that front in a big way. 2K players were promised a great Kobe Bryant card – and it’s nowhere to be found.

During the pre-order phase, 2K announced that anyone who hit the top Collector Level in MyTEAM would be eligible to receive a Kobe Bryant card in April. And with Kobe meaning so much to so many, it’s fair to assume a lot of players worked to achieve the top level in hopes of landing the card. However, 2K has decided to change the rewards at the last minute.

“Players who achieve the top Collector Level will now receive an Option Pack for two picks out of ten previously released 100 OVR Cards,” 2K announced. “We appreciate that players have dedicated time and effort throughout the year to achieve this reward and 2K is committed to ensuring players continue to earn valuable content as their reward.”

Related: Take-Two Beats LeBron James’ Tattoo Artist in Lawsuit Over Copyright

That statement fails to mention anything about the Kobe card, and it’s left fans either scratching their heads or fuming. The Washington Post’s Herb Scribner reached out to 2K to inquire about the switch and whether it stems from a change in licensing rights, but the company declined to comment.

No matter what caused the Kobe card to end up on the cutting room floor, players are demanding answers. Some are even speculating that this is a greedy move on the part of 2K, and the Kobe card will end up in packs in the store at some point. There’s no evidence at the moment to corroborate that, but without an explanation, 2K is opening the door for those kinds of conversations.