2K announced that retired football player Thierry Henry will be featured in the upcoming NBA 2K17. As in real life, Thierry Henry will be a regular court side star during home games of the San Antonio Spurs.

In NBA 2K17’s Blacktop mode, where you can play different types of basketball games ranging from 1 vs 1 to 5 vs 5, Thierry Henry is available as a playable character, where you can test his skills against the greatest players of all time.

Following the success of NBA 2K16 Road to the Finals earlier this year, the NBA 2K17 All-Star Tournament is an exciting competition that will culminate during NBA All-Star weekend in February. Players on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, will be able to form their own NBA 2K Pro-Am teams to compete in a series of in-game events to qualify for the tournament to win $250,000. The new champion will be crowned during NBA All-Star 2017 in New Orleans.

“NBA 2K16 Road to the Finals proved that our fans have an appetite for competitive gaming, and we are excited to deliver another opportunity for Pro-Am teams to go head-to-head during the new All-Star Tournament,” said Alfie Brody, VP of Marketing for NBA 2K.  “Thousands of teams participated in our NBA 2K16 Road to the Finals competition, and we expect this tournament to attract great talent and inspire more of the intense action we witnessed in the first.”

The All-Star Tournament tips off on December 31, 2016 in the United States and Canada with a series of NBA 2K17 in-game rounds scheduled on five qualifying days through January 28, 2017. Teams, which must have Elite or better status, can participate in any of the five qualifying game day rounds where they will compete for a chance to qualify for the tournament. All qualifying wins will contribute to the team’s total score on the leaderboard for that specific game day. The teams with the three highest total scores on each platform on each qualifying day will move on to the tournament.

NBA 2K is also introducing Wild Card spots for the All-Star Tournament. The team on each platform with the highest single game day Total Score across all game days that did not otherwise qualify for the tournament will qualify as a Wild Card and receive the 16th and final seed in their platform’s tournament.

On February 4th (Rounds 1 and 2) and February 11th (Console Semifinals and Finals), the 16 qualifying teams on both the PS4 and Xbox One will go head-to-head in a single elimination tournament. The console winners will then face off for the $250,000 championship during NBA All-Star 2017 in February, with the champions receiving tickets to the 2017 NBA All-Star Game at Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.

“The NBA 2K development team is thrilled to expand the brand’s footprint in the evolving world of eSports with the All-Star Tournament,” said Greg Thomas, president of Visual Concepts. “We’re raising the stakes with this competition, and can’t wait to see new rivalries emerge and the action unfold.”

Open to legal residents of 50 U.S., D.C. & Canada (excluding AZ, CT, MD, ND & Quebec), 13+. Teams must have Elite or better status and must compete on Xbox One or PS4 platforms. Void where prohibited. Game Days begin on 12/31/16 and end on 1/28/17. For the official rules, event dates and more information on the NBA 2K All-Star Tournament, visit here.

For the first time in NBA 2K history, gamers – both new and old – will get to start their MyCAREER experience prior to the game’s launch on September 20 through “The Prelude”, which was designed specifically to give them an introduction to NBA 2K’s legendary MyCAREER mode, placing the user at the center of an epic basketball story. MyNBA2K17 will let you connect with NBA 2K17 wherever you are – the bus, subway, the court, a store, anywhere. The mobile companion app also features facial scanning technology which imports your likeness directly to the game. Jumpstart your MyCAREER now – it'll be waiting for you when you pick up NBA 2K17.

Flipping over to the MyTEAM mobile side of the app, you'll be able to earn even more VC by competing against players across the world in Quick Games and by completing MyTEAM mobile's rotating Goals. The feature enables gamers to start building up their deck and collect cards of their favorite players.