The NBA.com Virtual GM game allows fans to build their own team of NBA players and compete against each other to win prizes based on their team's performance. Fans can compete over the course of the entire 1999-2000 NBA regular season, which begins on November 2, 1999 and ends the week of April 11, 2000, or on a single-week basis during any given week during the regular season.

FOLLOWING YOUR TEAM
To enter, fill out the official game registration form online on NBA.com. After registering, you can participate in the game. A valid user name and password will be used as an identifier to log in to game play, and to keep track of your team's score. You will be able to see your team's score any time you return to the game by your user name and password.

ROSTER COMPOSITION
Teams are comprised of five (5) players: one (1) point guard, one (1) shooting guard, one (1) small forward, one (1) power forward and one (1) center. In addition, each team has an NBA head coach.

Player positions are determined based on the official NBA team rosters; all players on current NBA rosters are available in the game.

PLAYER RATING
Players are rated using the following formula: the sum of a player's points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocked shots minus the sum of the player's missed field goals, missed free throws and turnovers:

(PTS+REB+AST+STL+BLK) - ((FGA-FGM)+(FTA-FTM)+TO)

For example, if a player shoots 5-of-10 from the field and 5-of-7 from the free-throw line and totals 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 2 blocked shots and 3 turnovers, his total points earned would be 20:

(15 + 6 + 4 + 3 + 2) - ((10 - 5) + (7 - 5) + 3) = 20

At the start of the season, players are rated by their 1998-99 per-game average using this formula and indexed on that rating. Rookies are assigned a rating based on their draft position in the 1999 NBA Draft. During the season, player ratings are indexed according to all players' single game rating average over their last ten games.

Coaches are ranked by their indexed season-to-date wins total.

SCORING
Your team accumulates points based on the total rating of your players, using the above formula, during the course of the week. In addition, your team will earn five points for each win recorded by your coach and teams carrying the player who earns NBA Player of the Week honors for the current week will earn fifteen bonus points. The team with the highest cumulative total each week wins a Weekly Prize.

The game begins with the start of the NBA regular season, on November 2 1999. The first weekly winner will be named on November 9 for the week of November 2-9 and the last weekly winner will be named on April 20, 2000 for the week of April 11 - April 19.

The team with the highest cumulative point total over the course of the entire season (minus the team's two lowest-scoring weeks) will win the Grand Prize. The next ten highest-scoring teams over the course of the entire season (minus the teams' two lowest-scoring weeks) will win a First Prize.

ROSTER MANAGEMENT
You must assemble its roster within a team rating limit of 80. Teams that exceed the team rating limit or do not field a complete roster will receive no points for the week.

Once you have selected your team, you may change any or all players on a weekly basis or carry over the same players from week to week. You can drop players from their roster and select new players, within the total rating limit of 80, to replace those dropped players. As players increase or decrease in value, you may drop players who do not "earn" their value and replace them by players who are "undervalued," that is, at a lower rating than their likely future performance would suggest.

Teams choosing to change any or all players may do so on any day and there is no limit to the number of transactions you may make. The weekly transaction deadline of 6:00 p.m. ET every Tuesday, after which time all transactions made during the previous week will become effective. Available players who are on their respective NBA team's injured or suspended lists will be marked as such.

PRIZES
The fan whose team accumulates the highest point total during the course of a single week will win an NBA.com Virtual GM Weekly Prize Pack with a total retail value of approximately US$50.00 (24 total Weekly Prizes will be awarded). Weekly winners will be announced on NBA.com every Tuesday after the registration deadline for the upcoming week; the first weekly winner will be named on November 9, 1999, for the week of November 2-8 and the last weekly winner will be named on April 20, 2000 for the week of April 11 - April 19.

The fan whose team accumulates the highest point total during the course of the full season will win an "NBA.com Virtual GM Grand Prize Pack," consisting of an assortment of Gatorade and NBA merchandise with a total retail value of US$750.00 (one Grand Prize will be awarded).

The participants whose teams accumulate the ten (10) next highest point totals during the course of the full season will win an "NBA.com Virtual GM First Prize Pack" with a total retail value of US$100.00 (ten First Prizes will be awarded).

The Grand Prize winner and First Prize winners will be announced the week after the end of the regular season.