Today, publisher and developer 2K announced NBA 2K18, it's upcoming latest yearly installment of NBA 2K. 2K also revealed this years Legend Edition/Legend Edition Gold cover star: Shaquille O'Neal aka Shaq aka Shaq Fu aka Shaq Diesel.

As you may know, Shaquille O'Neal played 19 years of professional basketball, from the years of 1992 - 2011, where he cemented himself as an all-time great and won four rings.

O'Neal's individual accolades include (per Wikipedia): the 1999–2000 MVP award, the 1992–93 NBA Rookie of the Year award, 15 All-Star game selections, three All-Star Game MVP awards, three Finals MVP awards, two scoring titles, 14 All-NBA team selections, and three NBA All-Defensive Team selections. He is notably one of only three players to win NBA MVP, All-Star game MVP and Finals MVP awards in the same year (2000). Further, he ranks 7th on the all-time points scored list, 5th in field goals, 13th in rebounds, and 7th in blocks. O'Neal was elected into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.

As you may know, he now serves on TNT's Inside the NBA broadcasting team alongside Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith. And now he is returning as an 2K cover star for his third time (he was previously the cover athlete for NBA 2K6 and NBA 2K7).

This time around, Shaq won't be the cover star of the game's Standard Edition -- which hasn't been revealed yet -- but rather of the game's two Legend Editions. Here is the breakdown of what each of these editions will get you:

NBA 2K18: Legend Edition ($99.99 USD)

In-Game:

  • 100,000 VC
  • 20 MyTEAM Packs* (which includes a Guaranteed Shaq Card and Team2K Card)
  • Shaq Attaq Shoes
  • Shaq Jerseys and Apparel
  • A Championship Ring

Physical:

  • Limited edition-Shaq poster, five Panini trading cards, exclusive stickers.

NBA 2K18: Legend Edition Gold ($129.99 USD)

  • All Legend Edition Content plus an additional five Panini trading cards

  • Additional 150,000 VC (250,000 Total)

  • 20 Additional MyTEAM Packs* (40 Total with Guaranteed Shaq Card and Team2K Card)

  • Shaq’s Jersey Collection

Both of the Legend Editions are available digitally and physically on PS4 and Xbox One, meanwhile on the Switch, the versions are only available physically.

2K has said it plans to reveal the cover star of the standard version, as well as it's preorder/day-one bonuses at a later date. In the meanwhile, if you preorder the game on PS4 via the PlayStation Store, you will receive an exclusive PlayStation Theme on release (it hasn't been revealed).

NBA 2K18 releases on PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC on September 19th. If you purchase one of the Legend Editions, you can play early on September 15th.

Below, you can check out the new reveal trailer which accompanied the announcement: