NBA Dumps Dunk Contest

[Steve Huffman <stevhuff@eastky.net>]

New York, NY  -  The  National  Basketball  Association  has
announced  a  change  for the 1998 NBA All-Star Game at Madison Square
Garden, as the Nestle Crunch All-Star 2ball  event  will  replace  the
Slam Dunk Contest.

The Dunk Contest had been a part of All-Star weekend since  1983,
but  had been getting a bad rap for its lackluster outings in the last
few seasons. Most critics felt all the good dunks  have  already  been
done and the exhibition was getting stale.

"Nestle Crunch All-Star 2ball is an ideal format for NBA and WNBA
players  to  compete  together in a major event, and fans in the arena
and at home will find  it  to  be  an  exiting  addition  to  All-Star
Saturday  Night,"  said  NBA  Deputy  Commissioner  Russ Granik. "This
doesn't mean the Slam Dunk Contest is gone forever, but we felt it was
time to try something new."

The 2ball will be the first All-Star event to  feature  both  NBA
and  WNBA  players.  It will be a one-minute competition that requires
the core basketball skills  of  shooting,  rebounding,  dribbling  and
passing.

Nestle Crunch All-Star 2ball is played by two-player teams  on  a
half-court  marked with six specific shooting locations that are worth
different point amounts based on difficulty. Teams  will  include  one
player from a city's NBA team and one player from the same city's WNBA
club.

Three teams have already  confirmed  their  participation;  Clyde
Drexler  of  the  Houston  Rockets  and  Cynthia Cooper of the Houston
Comets; Allan Houston of the New York Knicks and Rebecca Lobo  of  the
New  York  Liberty;  and  Mitch  Richmond  of the Sacramento Kings and
Ruthie Bolton-Holifield of the Sacramento Monarchs.

The winning team will split $25,000, the second-place tandem will
take  home $10,000, and the third-place duo will win $5,000. All other
teams will earn $2,000.

The 2ball event will be followed by the Schick Rookie  Game,  the
Million  Dollar  Shot  and  the AT&T Shootout on Saturday, February 7,
with the All-Star Game taking place the following day.