McFarlane Toys, the company that has revolutionized the action figure industry with its penchant for detail, accuracy and picture-perfect likenesses, has just inked an agreement with the National Basketball Association to create a line of McFarlane's Sports Picks that will feature NBA basketball stars.  The first wave of McFarlane NBA Sports Picks, which will debut in March of 2002, will consist of six of the NBA's best players:  Allen Iverson, Philadelphia 76ers guard; Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers guard; Kevin Garnett, Minnesota Timberwolves forward; Tim Duncan, San Antonio Spurs forward/center; Vince Carter, Toronto Raptors guard/forward; and Jason Kidd, New Jersey Nets point guard. 

 

While the first six McFarlane NBA Sports Picks do represent the cream of the crop of young NBA stars (though Ray 'Jesus Shuttleworth' Allen should also be included), the league's veterans, notably the recently unretired Michael Jordan, are not well represented.  Perhaps if Jordan does play the entire season, he will be included in a second wave of figures.  In any case the entry of McFarlane Toys into the once robust marketplace for NBA sports figurines is likely to rekindle interest in a category that has been wasting away, thanks to the poor performance of Kenner's Starting Lineup figures (see 'McFarlane Toys Gets NFL License' for a graphic demonstration in the difference in quality between the McFarlane figures and their predecessors).  Certainly the McFarlane NBA figures appear to be every bit as lifelike as the company's creations featuring NFL and NHL stars.

 

The McFarlane NBA Sports Picks demonstrate superb sculpting and excellent paint effects, such as the sweat that glistens on the skin of these superstars as they fly through the air to dunk or look to pass off the dribble.  The likenesses are great and the action poses are terrific--if any company can revive the 'sports figures' market it is McFarlane Toys.  The agreement with McFarlane Toys nets the NBA a major upgrade in the production of sports figurines of the league's top stars.  For McFarlane Toys the deals with the NBA, NHL (see 'McFarlane Toys Snags NHL License'), and NFL provide the company with a market, which if revived, should provide a steady year-to-year business that will be considerably less risky than betting on movie licenses, which can be stellar (Shrek) or disastrous (Little Nicky).