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2K Picks Angel Reese Over Caitlin Clark to ‘Generate Engagement Through Chaos’

NBA 2K says it wasn’t about performance, just the potential for maximum online meltdowns

Angel Reese on the cover of NBA 2K26 WNBA Edition
Angel Reese drives forward on the NBA 2K26 WNBA Edition cover, as digital outrage mounts behind her

NEED TO KNOW

  • NBA 2K26 selected Angel Reese for its WNBA edition cover, skipping fan-favorite Caitlin Clark.
  • 2K Games claims the decision was based on “storytelling,” “vision,” and “chaotic engagement potential.”
  • Online discourse has already boosted preorder sales by 312%, mostly from people angrily trying to prove a point.

The Algorithm Has Entered the Chat

In what experts are calling “a masterclass in controlled combustion,” 2K Games revealed that Angel Reese will grace the cover of NBA 2K26’s WNBA edition. The announcement sent sports fans, casual gamers, and unmedicated Facebook uncles into an immediate frenzy. “We’re not picking sides,” said 2K General Manager Zak Armitage. “We’re picking chaos. Pure, data-driven, rage-clicking chaos.”

Metrics Over Merit

Despite Caitlin Clark leading All-Star fan voting and the nation in sponsored water bottle tosses, 2K insists Reese’s “engagement conversion rate” tested off the charts. According to internal documents, she was ranked the #1 athlete most likely to cause a subtweet avalanche. “Every time she tweets, a podcast host loses his mind,” one analyst noted.

Game Mode: Discourse Simulator

NBA 2K26 will include a special “Comment Section” mode where players can argue over jersey sales, NIL deals, and who “respects the game” more. Clark fans have already organized a digital boycott of the cover, which ironically involves preordering the game to digitally deface it with mods.

Quote of the moment

We had two goals this year: increase WNBA visibility and permanently fracture the internet

Zak Armitage, 2K Games GM

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