NEW YORK – Team Texas is going to attempt to become the first repeat Haier Shooting Stars champion as it competes against a field that includes squads representing Atlanta, Chicago and NBA All-Star 2011 host city Los Angeles at Staples Center on Feb. 19.

The home team from Los Angeles, which won the inaugural Haier Shooting Stars competition in 2004, includes the Lakers’ Pau Gasol, who was selected to his fourth All-Star Game, which will be played Feb. 20, at Staples Center; the Los Angeles Sparks’ Tina Thompson, the WNBA’s all-time leading scorer; and NBA TV analyst Rick Fox, a three-time NBA champion with the Lakers (2000-02).

Team Atlanta features the Hawks’ Al Horford, who was named to his second consecutive All-Star Game this year; Coco Miller of the reigning Eastern Conference champion Atlanta Dream; and NBA TV analyst Steve Smith, an All-Star selection in 1998 with the Hawks and a member of the 2003 NBA champion San Antonio Spurs. Team Chicago is comprised of the Chicago Bulls’ Taj Gibson, who will represent the Sophomores in the 2011 T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam to be held Feb. 18 at Staples Center; the Chicago Sky’s Cathrine Kraayveld, one the WNBA’s best long-range shooters; and TNT NBA Analyst Steve Kerr, a five-time NBA champion with the Chicago Bulls (1996-98) and San Antonio Spurs (1999, 2003).

Defending champion Team Texas is represented by Dallas Mavericks All-Star Dirk Nowitzki, the organization’s all-time leading scorer and one of only 24 NBA players to have scored at least 22,000 points; the San Antonio Silver Stars’ Roneeka Hodges, who last season averaged a career-high 3.2 rebounds to go along with 7.7 points; and TNT analyst Kenny Smith, a two-time NBA champion with the Houston Rockets (1994, 1995).

In last year’s competition, Team Texas, which featured Nowitzki, Smith and the San Antonio Silver Stars’ Becky Hammon, defeated Team Los Angeles in the final round with a time of 34.3 seconds.

Haier Shooting Stars will be televised live nationally as part of the NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by State Farm, which will also feature the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, Sprite Slam Dunk, Taco Bell Skills Challenge, and NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas. TNT and ESPN Radio’s national coverage will begin at 8 p.m. EST from Staples Center. The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 20, will air live on TNT, ESPN Radio and in more than 200 countries and will be broadcast in more than 40 languages.

The Haier Shooting Stars contest features one current NBA player, one current WNBA player and one TNT on-air talent and 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.

About Haier America
Haier America is the Sales and Marketing arm of the Americas for the multinational Haier Group, the world’s largest white goods brand. Headquartered in the Haier Building at 1356 Broadway in New York City, Haier America is a leader for room air conditioner, compact refrigerator, and wine cellar sales, as well as a leading force in major appliances, compact appliances, portable electronics and HDTV sales. Haier is an Official Marketing Partner and the Official High Definition Television of the NBA. www.haieramerica.com.

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

2004 (Los Angeles)

Magic Johnson (L.A. Lakers legend), Derek Fisher (L.A. Lakers), Lisa Leslie (L.A. Sparks)

2005 (Denver)

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

2006 (Houston)

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

2007 (Las Vegas)

Bill Laimbeer (Detroit Pistons legend), Chauncey Billups (Detroit Pistons), Swin Cash (Detroit Shock)

2008 (New Orleans)

David Robinson (San Antonio legend), Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs), Becky Hammon (San Antonio Silver Stars)

2009 (Phoenix)

Bill Laimbeer (Detroit legend), Aaron Afflalo (Detroit Pistons), Katie Smith (Detroit Shock)

2010 (Dallas)

Kenny Smith (Texas legend), Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks), Becky Hammon (San Antonio Silver Stars)