irtual athletes ready to test their skills against the best players in the country can now sign up to participate in the NBA 2K10 All-Star Challenge Presented by Nike Basketball. The All-Star Challenge, driven by 2K Sports, will be available exclusively on the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft through the Xbox LIVE online entertainment network. After the qualification period, and advancing through the online playoffs, two finalists will be flown to Dallas, Texas to compete in the championship tournament held during the 2010 NBA All-Star Weekend, February 12-14.  The two finalists may bring a guest to the championships, and will also have special access to Nike VIP events in Dallas.  The NBA All-Star Challenge champion will walk away with the incredible grand prize of $10,000, along with the exclusive opportunity to design one of the colorways for Kobe Bryant’s signature shoe, the Zoom Kobe V, through NIKEiD (subject to NBA approvals).  The Zoom Kobe V that the winner designs will be worn by Kobe in an actual Los Angeles Lakers game, and the virtual version of the design will appear in next year’s NBA 2K11.  Interested participants can sign up and view the official rules starting today at http://www.2ksports.com/allstarchallenge.  

After registering for the tournament, participants must qualify and check-in to participate in the online playoffs. During the qualification period, all ranked games played online will count towards an entrant’s qualification ranking. The leaderboard will track player rankings, which will be displayed and updated daily on the dedicated tournament website. The 60 tournament participants with the highest ranking, as determined by 2K Sports, who have checked-in and played at least 15 completed games during the qualification period, will advance to the online playoffs. For more information on rules and other details, please visit the dedicated tournament website at http://www.2ksports.com/allstarchallenge.

Following are the key dates for the NBA 2K10 All-Star Challenge Presented by Nike Basketball:

• 12/23/09 Registration & Qualification Period Open
• 1/16/10 Registration Ends (11:59 p.m. EST)
• 1/17/10 Qualification Ends & 24 Hour Check-In Period
• 1/23/10 Playoffs, Round 1 (10 a.m. - 5 p.m. EST)
• 1/24/10 Playoffs, Round 2 (10 a.m. - 5 p.m. EST)
• 1/30/10 Playoffs, Round 3 (10 a.m. - 5 p.m. EST)
• 1/31/10 Playoffs, Round 4 (9 a.m. EST start)
• 1/31/10 Playoffs, Round 5 (TBD, Based on Round 4 Winner Availability)
• 2/13/10 Championship Finals (Champion Crowned)