With a new twist on the fantasy sports phenomenon, eight real life NBA superstars have signed up to participate as team owners, while online gamers playing exclusively on Xbox Live online entertainment network and PlayStation Network will have the exciting opportunity to be drafted onto one of the NBA superstars’ NBA 2K9 fantasy team.

“The Other Season is an amazing opportunity for fans to be on the virtual team of their favorite NBA player,” said Greg Thomas, senior vice president of sports development at 2K. “We can’t wait to see how these teams match up against each other throughout the season.”

NBA 2K9 cover athlete Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics) will be one of the many fantasy team owners for The Other Season, along with the other popular NBA superstars Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers), Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz), Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons), Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns), Greg Oden (Portland Trailer Blazers), Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls), and Monta Ellis (Golden State Warriors). 2K Sports will make a contribution of $10,000 to the charity of choice of the NBA player whose fantasy team wins The Other Season championship.

The teams and owners in The Other Season, along with the charities they are competing for, are:

• Kevin Garnett: The OBF Soldiers. Brothers in Arms. Monsters in the paint. Charity: Komplete Academy
• Andre Iguodala: The Iguo-Dollaz. Intensity and versatility you can bank on. Charity: Andre Iguodala Youth Foundation
• Carlos Boozer: The Boo-Yaz. Made for the highlight reel. Charity: Boozer's Buddies
• Chauncey Billups: Smooth's Squad. No buzzer left unbeaten. Charity: Porter-Billups Leadership Academy
• Steve Nash: The Nash Potatoes. An MVP staple that always delivers. Charity: The Steve Nash Foundation
• Greg Oden: Oden's Hammers. Everyone else is just a nail. Charity: Oregon Mentors
• Derrick Rose: The Great Poohdinis. Now you see us, now you don't. Charity: Children First Fund
• Monta Ellis: The Mississippi Warriors. River speed meets delta force. Charity: The United Negro College Fund

Fans can now sign-up online to receive registration information for the NBA 2K9 fantasy league draft through www.theotherseason.com, and while every player who registers and participates will be drafted, fans can make their own pitch for why they should be drafted to a specific team by describing their strengths and weaknesses, platform they play on, gamertag, and they can even upload personal images and videos. The Other Season fantasy league website will also offer exclusive video content and news updates from each NBA superstar and his individual fantasy team, track how well each fantasy team is performing, and provide dedicated fans with a community message board to chat about the latest happenings. The official fantasy draft will be posted at 12:01 a.m. EDT on October 28.

Individual player statistics and overall fantasy team rankings will be tracked through online play. A real-time leaderboard will also be available on The Other Season website to showcase the top ranked players in the league. After a team owner drafts a player, he will send a message to congratulate the player on helping his team’s standings in the league, though for players who are not active in the league for over a month, they will also be in jeopardy of being cut from the team.

Scoring in The Other Season will be based on overall statistical performance in ranked online one-on-one game play. A player’s overall score is his Fantasy Points Score (FPS). Points are awarded as follows:

-- Point: +1
-- Rebound: +1
-- Assist: +1
-- Steal: +2
-- Block: +2
-- Turnover: -2
-- Foul: -1

A player’s individual FPS is calculated by the total of all fantasy points scored in all ranked online one-on-one games, divided by the total minutes played in ranked online one-on-one games. Team scores are based on the average of all team members’ FPS.

The Other Season is a real league with real results and incentivizes the best virtual athletes in NBA 2K9 to practice their game and be rewarded like never before. For more information on The Other Season and official rules, please visit www.theotherseason.com.

Back for its 10th season, NBA 2K9 is the premier basketball game for serious players, and will deliver the most realistic and feature-rich simulation experience ever available in the NBA 2K franchise – from gameplay and graphics to presentation and online features.

NBA 2K9, rated E for Everyone, will be available on October 7 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PS2 on Oct. 7, 2008.