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WNBA Women's National Basketball Association

Detroit's Smith, Cash and Laimbeer being championship luck to City of Lights

February 7, 2007 - Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) News Release


NEW YORK - All eyes will be on Las Vegas, the Entertainment Capital of the World, next week as the NBA descends on Glitter Glutch for NBA All-Star 2007. Of course it wouldn't be a true All-Star basketball experience without the participation of some notable WNBA Champions, which is why Detroit's Katie Smith, Swin Cash and Bill Laimbeer will be among several members of the WNBA family in attendance at NBA All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas.

On Friday, February 16, Detroit Shock Guard Katie Smith and Indiana Fever Forward Tamika Catchings will take part in the McDonald's NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by 2K Sports. Joining the WNBA duo are 16 other celebrities including Academy Award™-winning actor and Grammy™ Award nominee Jamie Foxx (Ray), Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist Nelly, Academy Award nominee Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile), actor David Arquette ("In Case of Emergency"), actor James Denton ("Desperate Housewives"), and the Food Network's Bobby Flay ("Throwdown with Bobby Flay").

The game will air live on ESPN on at 7 p.m. (EST) from NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. ESPN play-by-play commentator Mark Jones and analysts Jon Barry and Tom Tolbert will call the action, along with courtside reporters Stuart Scott and Jim Gray. ESPN analysts and former NBA players Tim Legler (East) and Greg Anthony (West) will serve as head coaches. Assistant coaches include actor James Pickens, Jr. ("Grey's Anatomy") for the East and "Mr. Las Vegas" Wayne Newton for the West.

The roster for the McDonald's NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by 2K Sports is as follows:

EAST TEAM WEST TEAM

David Arquette ("In Case of Emergency") Jamie Foxx (Ray, Dreamgirls)

Michael Clarke Duncan (The Green Mile) James Denton ("Desperate Housewives")

Nelly ( Grammy Award winning hip hop artist) Reggie Bush (NFL's New Orleans Saints)

Kevin Frazier (host of "Entertainment Tonight") Bow Wow (Roll Bounce)

Donald Faison ("Scrubs") Jamie Kennedy ("Jamie Kennedy Experiment")

Taye Diggs (Rent, Chicago) Tony Potts (co-anchor of "Access Hollywood")

Bobby Flay ("Throwdown with Bobby Flay") Nick Cannon (Bobby)

Carrot Top (comedian) Jonathan Silverman ("In Case of Emergency")

Katie Smith (WNBA's Detroit Shock) Tamika Catchings (WNBA's Indiana Fever)

Coach: Tim Legler, ESPN analyst Coach: Greg Anthony, ESPN

Asst. Coach - James Pickens Jr. ("Grey's Anatomy") Asst. Coach - Wayne Newton

As part of NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by EA SPORTS, Shock Forward Swin Cash will team up with Pistons Guard Chauncey Billups and NBA Legend and Shock Head Coach Bill Laimbeer in the Haier Shooting Stars contest. The Detroit trio will take on the defending champion San Antonio squad on February 17 at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

The San Antonio team, which captured the title last year in Houston, consists of All-Star Tony Parker, Silver Stars forward Kendra Wecker and Hall of Famer George Gervin. Team. Also involved in the competition are squads from Chicago and Los Angeles. Chicago is comprised of Bulls guard Ben Gordon, Sky forward Candice Dupree and seven-time NBA All-Star Scottie Pippen. Team Los Angeles, the runner-up in last year's contest, consists of Lakers forward Lamar Odom, Sparks guard and 2005 WNBA Rookie of the Year Temeka Johnson and Michael Cooper, a member of five Lakers' Championship teams.

The Haier Shooting Stars contest features one current NBA player, one current WNBA player and one NBA legend on each team. There are six numbered shooting locations of increasing difficulty, with each team attempting to make all shots in numeric order in the fastest time. Each team will select a specific player rotation to follow throughout the competition. Each shot must be made before the next player begins shooting in succession. Teams have up to two minutes to complete the entire shooting course and the team that completes all six shots in the least amount of time is declared the winner. In the case of a tie, a shoot-off will be used to determine the winner.

The Haier Shooting Stars will be televised live nationally as part of the NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by EA Sports™, which will also feature the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout, Sprite Slam Dunk and Playstation® Skills Challenge. TNT and ESPN Radio's national coverage will begin at 8:00 p.m. from Thomas & Mack Center. The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 18, will air live on TNT, ESPN Radio and in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide.

Listed below are the previous winning teams from the Haier Shooting Stars competition:

2004: Magic Johnson (L.A. Lakers legend), Derek Fischer (L.A. Lakers), Lisa Leslie (L.A. Sparks)

2005: Dan Majerle (Phoenix Suns legend), Shawn Marion (Phoenix Suns), Diana Taurasi (Phoenix Mercury)

2006: Steve Kerr (San Antonio Spurs legend), Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs), Kendra Wecker (San Antonio Silver Stars)

Experience the two-time WNBA Champion Detroit Shock presented by AirMaster Heating and Air Conditioning, a premiere LENNOX dealer by calling 248.377.0100 or by logging on to www.DetroitShock.com. The Shock's home opener vs. the Sacramento Monarchs is scheduled for Saturday, May 19 (Bill Laimbeer's birthday) at 3:30 p.m. The 2006 WNBA Finals re-match will be televised nationally on ABC.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.


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