NBA 2K19

NBA 2K19 is a 2018 basketball video game developed by Visual Concepts and published by 2K. Based on the National Basketball Association (NBA), it is the 20th installment in the NBA 2K franchise, the successor to NBA 2K18, and the predecessor to NBA 2K20. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks is the cover athlete for the standard edition, while LeBron James (who was also the cover athlete of NBA 2K14) of the Los Angeles Lakers is the cover athlete for the 20th Anniversary Edition. Antetokounmpo and James grace the cover in North America, while Australia native Ben Simmons of the Philadelphia 76ers is featured on the cover in Australia and New Zealand. NBA 2K19 was released on September 11, 2018, for Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. It received generally favorable reviews from critics, who praised the gameplay and some calling it the best installment of the series, while its emphasis on microtransactions was criticized. The career mode is titled "The Way Back" and stars Anthony Mackie, Aldis Hodge, Haley Joel Osment, Ginger Gonzaga, Rob Huebel, Mo McRae, Ricky Whittle and Michael Rapaport. "The Way Back" also features authentic CBA commentary in Mandarin Chinese, a first of the series. On December 31, 2020, the online 2K19 servers were shut down.