Konami - Press News - Coming Soon Magazine

NBA ALL-STAR GLEN RICE TO ENDORSE NBA IN THE ZONE '98

The Charlotte Hornets' #41 to be Part of Konami's Sports Series Team

Buffalo Grove, IL, July 14, 1997 -- Konami of America, Inc., a leading developer of electronic entertainment for the home video game and coin-op markets, announces the signing of Glen Rice, of the National Basketball Association's Charlotte Hornets, to endorse NBA In the Zone '98, Konami's latest title for the Nintendo 64 and Sony PlayStation. Rice will be featured on all NBA In the Zone '98 packaging. He will also be in all print and television advertisements, as well as promotional tie-ins for both games.

"I'm excited to be a part of NBA In the Zone '98," said Rice. "Konami's NBA In the Zone titles are the best basketball games ever made. The simulations are so realistic you feel like you are on the court playing face-to-face against the league's best players. As a huge video game fan myself, I'm happy and proud to be a member of the Konami Sports Series team."

NBA In the Zone '98 captures the gameplay of the award-winning NBA In the Zone 1 & 2, and takes the most realistic five-on-five basketball action to the next level. The officially licensed game features real NBAplayers and teams, and incredible player realism due to motion capture technology with 3D mapped polygon graphics. NBA In the Zone '98 includes signature moves of players and all the offensive and defensive moves expected from a true simulation, including: behind-the-back dribbling, no-look passing, pivoting, stealing, blocking and many more. Full rosters (12 players per team), full-season play and the ability to trade and substitute players makes NBA In the Zone'98 the most realistic basketball game designed.

"To say that Konami is thrilled to have Glen Rice on board to endorse NBA In the Zone '98 would be putting it mildly," states Ken Dirnberger, president of Konami of America, Inc. "Not only is Glen one of the NBA's premier players, he's a team leader who knows what it takes to achieve greatness. Being the big video game fan he is, we're elated to know that he's part of the Konami Sports Series."

Rice was selected by the Miami Heat in the first round (fourth pick overall) of the 1989 NBA Draft and was traded to the Charlotte Hornets in 1995. He was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1997 NBA All-Star Game after scoring 26 points in 25 minutes and setting a new All-Star Game record for points in one half. Rice was named to the All-NBA Second Team and earned Player of the Month honors for the month of February 1997. He finished the 1996-97 season ranked first in the league in three-point field goal percentage, second in minutes per game and third in scoring.

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Konami of America, Inc. is a leading developer of electronic entertainment properties, specializing in the home video game and coin-operated markets. In addition to the Konami Sports Series, which includes NBA In the Zone 1 &2, MLBPA Bottom Of The 9TH, International Track & Field, The Final Round and Goal Storm, Konami's consumer titles include Castlevania and Contra, among other top sellers. Konami's coin-op legacy includes such hits as Run and Gun 2 and Crypt Killer. Konami of America, Inc. is a subsidiary ofKonami Co., Ltd., a publicly traded company based in Tokyo, Japan.

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