NBA Showdown Sports Card Game Allows Players to Experience All Aspects of The NBA
RENTON, Wash.--(COLLEGIATE PRESSWIRE)--Dec 6, 2001--Wizards of the Coast Inc., developer of game-based entertainment products, today announced plans to feature the fifth-year superstar forward of the Orlando Magic, Tracy McGrady on all marketing items related to the soon-to-be released NBA(TM) Showdown 2002 sports card game. McGrady will make two special appearances, at yet-to-be determined locations, on behalf of the National Basketball Association (NBA) card game which is the most recent addition to the Showdown Sports card game brand from Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro Inc. (NYSE:HAS) Wizards of the Coast also features the award-winning MLB(TM) Showdown and the innovative new NFL(TM) Showdown 2002 sports card games.
McGrady joins a highly regarded list of professional athletes who represent the Showdown Sports brand for Wizards of the Coast. The list includes Major League Baseball standouts Shawn Green, Chipper Jones, Gary Sheffield and Manny Ramirez along with Minnesota Vikings’ Pro Bowl quarterback Daunte Culpepper. This past year saw McGrady posted career high numbers in eight categories: points (26.8), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.6), steals (1.51) and minutes played (40.1). His .457 field-goal percentage, .355 three-point field-goal percentage, and .733 free-throw percentage were also career best marks. In addition, the high-flying All-Star forward received the NBA’s Most Improved Award for the 2000-2001 campaign.
“The Showdown Sports line is synonymous with excitement, energy and fun. Nobody embodies that image better than Tracy McGrady,” said Tom Goedde, director of sports marketing for Wizards of the Coast. “McGrady complements the already strong list of elite professional athletes representing our sports card games and helps to make our NBA Showdown 2002 sports card game a sure fan favorite.”
The new NBA Showdown 2002 sports card game will simulate an actual basketball game with players acting as owners and head coaches of their own all-star teams. The game combines the strategy of basketball with the collectability of sports cards and the competition of fantasy basketball. Game players will be able to call their own plays, pop the three, and drain a jump shot, all with the roll of a dice.
This new multidimensional NBA trading card game will feature full-color photos of NBA players along with characteristics and abilities based on players’ actual statistics. The NBA trading card game will be available at retail, hobby and other select stores worldwide in February 2002. Players can learn the game with the Starter Set and then expand their capabilities with booster packs.
With 29 teams in the United States and Canada, NBA games and related programming are broadcast to 210 countries in 42 languages. The NBA is one of the most popular and profitable sports or entertainment properties in the licensing world with NBA league and team products in stores across the globe, on the NBA Store on NBA.com, the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue in New York City, and NBA City in Orlando. The NBA possesses 16 marketing partnerships with the most successful companies in their categories, seven of which are global partnerships. For more information on the NBA, visit http://www.nba.com.
Wizards of the Coast Inc., a subsidiary of Hasbro Inc. (NYSE:HAS), is the worldwide market share leader in the trading card game and tabletop roleplaying game categories. Wizards of the Coast is a leading developer and publisher of game-based entertainment products as well as the owner and operator of one of the nation’s largest specialty game retail chains. The company holds an exclusive patent on the play mechanics of trading card games (TCGs) and produces the world’s best-selling Pok�mon(TM)* and Magic: The Gathering(R) TCGs. Wizards of the Coast is also one of the world’s leading fantasy and science fiction book publishers and is a publisher of adventure games such as the classic Dungeons & Dragons(R) games, family card and board games and electronic media products. Headquartered near Seattle, Washington, Wizards of the Coast has international offices in Antwerp, Paris, Milan, London and Beijing. For more information on Wizards of the Coast, visit the company’s website and electronic retail store at www.wizards.com.
Copyright (C) 2001 NBA Property, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
(C)2001 NFL Properties Inc. The NFL Shield logo and all other (NFL-related marks) are trademarks of the National Football League. Team names and logos are trademarks of the teams indicated. NFL PA: “Officially Licensed Product of PLAYERS INC.” or “Officially Licensed Product of the National Football League Players.”
WIZARDS OF THE COAST, Magic: The Gathering, Showdown and Dungeons & Dragons are registered trademarks of Wizards of the Coast Inc. (C)2001 Wizards.
Major League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball Inc. (C) MLBPA Official Licensee—Major League Baseball Players Association.
Pok�mon is a registered trademark of Nintendo.
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