Today, SCEA announced the cover athletes for NBA 09 The Inside. The list of U.S. national team members includes Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony and Carlos Boozer. NBA champion Paul Pierce rounds out the list of NBA 09 The Inside cover athletes.

NBA 09 The Inside will feature "The Life" mode, where players control the path of three different characters in a personal look at their life in the NBA. The game will also have a "progression system," allowing players to customize up to five different characters. The PS3 version of NBA 09 The Inside will also feature 1080p high-def graphics.

The game is expected to ship in October for PS3, PS2 and PSP.