January 31^st, 2002 (12:00am) - We all know that EA is hosting madden bowl, but really who cares? Sega is hosting NBA 2k2 Tourny

Celebrities Compete to be the Sega Sports NBA 2K2 Video Game Champion
During the NBA All-Star Weekend in Philadelphia

SAN FRANCISCO - (January 31, 2002) - Sega Sports(tm), the brand that
continues to set new standards in sports gaming, today announced that on
Friday, February 8, from noon to 3 p.m., it will be hosting the 2nd Annual
Sega Sports NBA 2K2 All-Star Celebrity Challenge. Hosted by Philadelphia
native and Portland Trail Blazer Rasheed Wallace, this event will take place
during the 2002 NBA All-Star Weekend at the Electric Factory in
Philadelphia, PA. Last year’s NBA 2K1 All-Star Celebrity Challenge Champion
and award winning rapper-producer, Jermaine Dupri, will be this year’s
celebrity referee - calling the play-by-play action on center court.
Right on the heels of the launch of "Sega Sports NBA 2K2" for the
PlayStation*2 computer entertainment system, Sega Sports has invited the
hottest celebrities in town - from R&B musical group Boyz II Men to Detroit
Pistons’ "hoop hustler" Damon Jones - to compete on this acclaimed
basketball simulation video game for a chance to win a $5,000 donation
toward their favorite charity.
"The NBA All-Star Weekend is the perfect backdrop for the 2nd Annual
Sega Sports NBA 2K2 All-Star Celebrity Challenge," said Tom Nichols, group
director of sports marketing, Sega of America. "It gives fans the
opportunity to witness the realism of ’Sega Sports NBA 2K2’ and see that our
developers really are at the pinnacle of creating the most life-like sports
simulations in the industry."
Twelve kiosks on center court will be locked and loaded with "Sega
Sports NBA 2K2" for the PlayStation 2, where celebrities will challenge each
other in pulse-pumping one-on-one action. Superstars competing will include
musicians Boyz II Men, Kurupt, Xzibit, Mobb Deep, Killarmy and Fat Joe; pro
athletes Jacksonville Jaguars’ Keenan McArdle, Seattle Seahawks’ Ike
Charlton, Houston Rockets’ Cuttino Mobley and Eddie Griffin, Washington
Wizards’ Kwame Brown, and former World Welterweight Champion Meldrick
Taylor; and actors Anthony Anderson (Exit Wounds, Big Momma’s House) and HBO
Def Comedy Jam’s Tommy Too Smooth. Musicians from the Wu-Tang Clan, Houston
Astros’ Brian Hunter and many other celebrities will also be watching the
drama unfold to see who walks away with bragging rights and the gift money
for their selected charity.
In addition to the celebrity charity donation, a separate
contribution will be made to the Rasheed A. Wallace Foundation on behalf of
Sega Sports to help promote social and cultural programs that assist in the
recreational and educational development of youth in Philadelphia.
Developed by Visual Concepts, a member of the Sega group and the
development house behind the sports video game revolution, "Sega Sports NBA
2K2" is the basketball game to play this year, offering improved player
models with emotion-based facial expressions, new animations including
cross-over moves that are player specific and enhanced player physics with
improved collision detection. "Sega Sports NBA 2K2" also keeps current with
updated rosters, arenas and team uniforms.
Endorsed by Philadelphia 76ers’ guard Allen Iverson, who appears on the
game’s cover, "Sega Sports NBA 2K2" is currently available on Sega
Dreamcast(tm) and the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system from Sony
Computer Entertainment Inc. It will soon be launching on the Xbox* video
game system from Microsoft* and the Nintendo GameCube*. The game is rated
"E" for everyone.