'NBA 2K17' release date news: 2K Sports recreates 1992 Dream Team and 2016 Team USA photos

"NBA 2K17" fans who bought the game ahead of its release date will be getting an additional pre-order bonus this fall from 2K Sports. As previously announced, the game publisher will include the 1992 Dream Team and 2016 Team USA in the next iteration of the "NBA 2K" franchise. Recreated versions of the teams' actual photos were released on the publisher's official Twitter account.

As reported by Forbes, the 1992 Dream Team members are all featured in the upcoming basketball simulation game, including former Rockets power forward and now TNT basketball analyst Charles Barkley and former Bulls player Scottie Pippen. Both players had repeatedly refused offers to be included in previous "NBA 2K" games. While all 12 players are present in the 2K17 version of the team picture, there was a conspicuous absence of Chuck Daly, the team's head coach.

Meanwhile, the official photo of this year's national team for the Rio Olympics is slightly different from its 2K17 rendition. The screenshot shows all basketball athletes wearing the same blue jersey shirts. The original image, on the other hand, shows players in heterogeneous mix of attires. Moreover, coach Mike Krzyzewski appears to have been added on the recreated image.

In a related update, free agent cards are reportedly bundled with "NBA 2K17" locker codes as revealed in a controversial tweet by a 2K Sports representative (check the tweet below). According to a report by FX News Call, locker codes were one of "NBA 2K16's" important features that offer in-game bug fixes, more trading points, and an opportunity to grab bonus prizes. There are also rumors suggesting an early release of 2K17 locker codes when the tweet started making rounds online. However, the publisher has yet to confirm the reports.

Other recent developments include the addition of an entirely new feature that has never been seen in previous "NBA 2K" titles. As per Facebook announcement two weeks ago, the "League Expansion" feature allows players to increase the size of the 30-team league by adding their custom-designed teams. Gamers may also opt to add 10 pre-made expansion teams instead of building teams from scratch.

The highly anticipated NBA simulation game is slated for a Sept. 16 pre-order launch on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC. The mainstream release, on the other hand, is set four days later, on Sept. 20.