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Former sports stars-turned TV presenters Gary Lineker and Ruud Gullit recently launched LEGO NBA Basketball, a revolutionary new game that has taken more than two years for the LEGO Company to develop. Following huge success in the Unites States last month, LEGO NBA Basketball hits Europe for the first time and kicks off the LEGO Sports 2003 season.

At the launch, the two stars were joined by a select group of international media and VIPs with expert analysis provided by three special guests: Erik Legernes, the LEGO designer responsible for the product, Martin Henlan from the Birmingham Bullets and Ben Morel from the NBA. They also spoke to the two animated stars of the new LEGO advertising campaign for the LEGO Sports range - Rick & Bob.

LEGO NBA Basketball is a series of games developed in partnership with the NBA and Spalding that delivers authentic action from one of Europe's fasting growing sports, the LEGO way. Using spring action figures it re-creates all the action of real basketball by allowing mini-figures to actually pick up, pass and shoot miniature LEGO Spalding balls. The range includes products such as Spin & Shoot where a wind up motor makes the basket revolve to test your skills. There is also NBA Slam Dunk where you pivot your player from side to side to practice from different angles, plus the option of trying out a reverse slam dunk. With the 1 vs 1 Action set, you take on an opponent and can use a mix of long shots and short passes to add a new dimension to your game. And for the ultimate fan, the NBA Challenge is a five-a-side set with a full range of mini-figures. You can expand your team all the time by collecting any number of the real 24 NBA All Stars that can be collected in sets of three.

At the launch itself, Gary & Ruud looked at how the product was created, as Erik Legernes explains, "The hardest part was figuring out a way for the LEGO mini-figures to pick up and throw the ball. It sounds simple, but it was the toughest part of the project and took 12 months to crack but we finally made it and the results are so good that even Magic Johnson grabbed a set."

Then Gary & Ruud they took each other on, one-on-one, in an exclusive demonstration and training session. They also came face to face with life-sized LEGO versions from the mini-figure range of 24 NBA All Stars. Commenting on the new product, Ruud Gullit said, "I've always wanted to slam dunk against an NBA All Star and now I can! The moves you can do are very realistic although I still can't seem to beat my kids at it, but I'm still trying!"

LEGO NBA Basketball is now on the streets and new LEGO NHL Hockey hits the shelves in the spring. Following that kids and adults aged 6-99 can look out for even more high-adrenaline sports to follow later in the year!