This year, 2K Sports named Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant as the cover athlete for NBA 2K10, but there was a wrinkle — they asked for fans to vote on one of four covers. America ignored Spike Lee’s vehement urging and selected an image of Bryant forcefully tugging on his jersey, which you can see above (the full-size shot is available in the gallery).

Bryant led the Lakers to yet another NBA championship last weekend; it was his fourth career title, and now, he’s finally got the “can’t do it without Shaq” monkey off his back. There certainly couldn’t have been a better time to put him on the cover of the game, especially since NBA 2K10 is the tenth anniversary of the best-selling basketball franchise.

NBA 2K10 will launch this fall on PS3, 360, Wii, PS2, PSP, and Computer.

2K Sports Congratulates Four-Time NBA Champion Kobe Bryant and Reveals Final Fan Voting Results for NBA