Fans of the basketball simulation game series are months away from "NBA 2K18" release. But this early, speculations are rife with regard to its release date and who's the next cover athlete of this year's entry to the franchise.

Fans may be looking into these NBA stars as possible cover stars of "NBA 2K18." Three of these include the ever popular James Harden, Russell Westbrook or Kyrie Irving, according to Forbes.  

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It is plausible that 2K Sports will announce the game's cover star around June.

James Harden 

Houston Rockets' point guard James Harden appears to be a favorite pick for 2K Sports as a cover athlete for the franchise. He was one of the three covers for "NBA 2K16" and also graced the cover for "NBA 2K15."

As of now, he is a candidate for MVP and seems to be ruling the NBA in assists and lands as one of top three in scoring. This is what makes him perfect as "NBA 2K18" cover star, but the question is if 2K will have him on the cover again after a two-year interval.      

Kyrie Irving

Cleveland Cavaliers' point guard Kyrie Irving is touted as one the coolest players of the NBA. His jersey sales makes him one of the top 4 most saleable on NBA Store, with Steph Curry as first, LeBron James as second, and Kevin Durant as third.

It does sound like a great idea to have him as the next face on the cover of the new NBA 2K game. On the contrary, Irving was featured as the cover for the competitor game, "NBA Live 14," and this could hinder such a possibility. It is not entirely impossible, however, as several cover stars on Live were also featured as the face of previous 2K games.   

Russell Westbrook 

Oaklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook also makes a great pick as next cover star for "NBA 2K18." As a crowd favorite for his moves on the court, Westbrook is on his way to win as this year's MVP or end up to be voted second.  

But like Irving, Westbrook was the cover star for "NBA Live 16." It is also likely that he is still bound to his contract with Electronic Arts.  

As to the release date, fans speculate that "NBA 2K18" will see its arrival this September, similar to previous games. Also, it has been confirmed to arrive on Nintendo Switch upon release.