Global Basketball Tournament Returns to "The Yard" at Alcatraz for Red Bull King of the Rock on September 28

SAN FRANCISCO, May 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2010, Red Bull King of the Rock went down in history as the first official sporting event ever to be held on Alcatraz and the first time basketball had been played on The Rock since the inmates left the island over 50 years ago.  Now in its fourth year, the global one-on-one basketball tournament will return with competitors qualifying from 25 countries.  On September 28, 64 finalists will head to the unforgiving island to put it all on the line in The Yard, but only one can be crowned Red Bull King of the Rock.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130521/LA18749)

Qualifiers are kicking off around the globe and will take place in the coming months, ending in September. Players interested in competing should visit www.redbull.com/kingoftherock for more information. The 64 finalists will include players from the 24 international final qualifiers held in Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brazil, Czech Republic, Egypt, Georgia, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, and Ukraine. In addition, the United States will hold 20 qualifiers, and returning champions Izeah "Clutch" Bowman (2010) and Hugh "Baby Shaq" Jones (2011 & 2012) have received an automatic bid back this year.  An illustrative spotlight on the past three tournaments, as well as a historical review of the island can be found at http://bit.ly/pickotr13.

Both the qualifiers and finals will incorporate a regulation one-on-one basketball set-up where players go head-to-head on an outdoor court using a single elimination tournament bracket.  There are only two options: win and continue on, or lose and go home.  Games will last five minutes and scoring will be two and three pointers.  Winners will move on to face another player, so while pure hoops ability is essential, strategy and endurance will also play a major role in overall victory. Players have to be tough to make it to The Rock, but must also play smart, as five fouls equals an automatic loss.

Red Bull King of the Rock is open to amateurs and pros alike, however players must be 16 years of age or older to participate. Participants under the age of 18 will need to have a parent or guardian present to sign a waiver at the qualifier.  Registration is first come first served at each qualifier, so players should arrive early to grab one of the coveted 64 spots.

Red Bull will be teaming up with EA Sports and adidas for this historic event.

Through the Red Bull network, hi-res video and still images are captured and made immediately available for editorial use for all media channels including television, film, print, mobile, and digital. The content is centrally located in the Red Bull Content Pool for media partners at www.redbullcontentpool.com.

Twitter: @redbull #kingoftherock   
Website:  www.redbull.com/kingoftherock

SOURCE Red Bull