Basketball All-Stars Karl Malone, Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and Steve Nash Make Incredible Animated Appearance as Superheroes in Special Episode of Warner Bros. Animation's ``STATIC SHOCK''.

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SHERMAN OAKS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 20, 2004

"Hoop Squad" Episode Slam Dunks onto Kids' WB!, Saturday, February 28

Warner Bros. Animation's STATIC SHOCK, one of the highest-rated animated series on Saturday mornings, gives Kids' WB! a jolt on Saturday, February 28 (8:30 a.m. ET/7:30 a.m. PT) with the special episode "Hoop Squad," featuring basketball All-Stars Karl Malone, Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and Steve Nash in an unforgettable animated appearance.

In the exhilarating episode, a visit to Los Angeles for the All-Star Game brings African-American teenage superhero Static face-to-face with four of his basketball superstar heroes -- Karl Malone, Yao Ming, Tracy McGrady and Steve Nash. But the ultimate surprise ignites when Static learns that they also have superhero identities and superpowers. Now for the first time ever, the world will be exposed to their top-secret personas as The Hoop Squad, four superstars whose incredible athletic abilities have been augmented by high-tech bio-enhancer suits.

Together, these four form the leading members of the secret organization known as the National Biotech Authority, dedicated to preserving world peace and stability. In this special episode they join forces with Static to help defeat the evil Doctor Odium who's created a frightening new device to dominate the world.

The All-Star superheroes include Karl Malone as "Pulverizer," the clever leader of the team, who can now jump higher and move faster than on the basketball court. Thanks to a super-covert, government technology, his hands have been mechanically charged up to expand on command, which allows him to pulverize anything he grabs hold of, crushing it between his bio-enhanced fingers.

"Center Force" is the super-powered alter-ego of the ever-indomitable Yao Ming, with mechanical hands and extendible limbs, he can leap over tall mountains with a single bound and run at super-human speeds.

All-Star Tracy McGrady is "Spin Drive." His already incredible ability to wheel around opponents on the basketball court has now been super charged. As a member of The Hoop Squad, he can spin like a cyclone at top speeds, swooping down on criminals, suctioning them up into the center of the vortex and whisking them off to jail.

Superstar Steve Nash is "Point Man," who can launch miniature exploding rockets from the finger tips of his armored gloves. With the incredible aim that makes him such a hoop-shooting threat, he can find his target and score a direct hit at any precise moment -- as he is always ready to take the next "shot."

STATIC SHOCK is produced by Warner Bros. Animation under the guidance of executive producer Sander Schwartz. Concept for the "Hoop Squad" episode of STATIC SHOCK is created by Claire Kupchak, Kimberly Woods and David Garber, with production assistance provided by NBA Entertainment.

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