NBA EUROPE LIVE PRESENTED BY EA SPORTS™ TO FEATURE
Celtics, Grizzlies, Timberwolves and Raptors to Train and Compete in the UK, Italy, Spain and Turkey
LAS VEGAS, Feb. 17, 2007 - The NBA will return for its second year of NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS this Fall when the Boston Celtics, Memphis Grizzlies, Minnesota Timberwolves and Toronto Raptors will conduct training camps and play exhibition games in six European cites in four countries, it was announced today by NBA Commissioner David Stern.
The 2007 NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS will mark a series of firsts in the NBA's 19-year history of conducting games in Europe. The Boston Celtics and the Minnesota Timberwolves will play in the first basketball game in the O2, London's new state of the art NBA style arena. In addition, the NBA will conduct its first game played in Turkey. The event will also feature the first time two NBA teams have competed against one another in Madrid and Rome.
After the 2007 NBA Europe Live, NBA teams will have played 40 games in 15 cities throughout Europe over the past two decades. The inaugural NBA Europe Live drew more than 36 million viewers, 115,000 spectators, and 18 marketing partners in October 2006.
"Following the success of last year's event, fans throughout Europe will again have the opportunity to see four NBA teams embark on this special European tour," said NBA Commissioner David Stern. "This collaborative effort between the NBA, Euroleague Basketball and EA SPORTS is committed to grow the sport of basketball across Europe and to embrace fans in each city through our NBA Cares community outreach."
"Last year, we witnessed outstanding games proving that the game of basketball is growing in popularity and intensity. Euroleague Basketball is excited to be participating in the second edition of NBA Europe Live with teams such as Efes Pilsen Istanbul, Unicaja, and Lottomatica Roma," said Euroleague Basketball CEO Jordi Bertomeu. "We look forward to seeing some great games."
"We share a passion with our partners at the NBA to bring the world's best basketball to Europe," said Jan Bolz, Vice President, International Sales and Marketing at EA. "After the great success of last year's event, we're excited to continue to be ambassadors for NBA basketball and for the opportunity to showcase NBA LIVE on the largest of stages. NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS creates an authentic platform for fans of all ages to enjoy real life and virtual basketball experiences across the continent."
As part of NBA Cares, the NBA and adidas will conduct a series of court refurbishment and community enhancement activities in the cities where its teams will visit. During the 2006 NBA Europe Live, the NBA and Euroleague teams hosted more than 15 community events, highlighted by four basketball court refurbishments with global partner adidas in Barcelona, Rome, Lyon and Cologne.
"The NBA's popularity in Europe has never been higher and we look forward to building upon the success of last year's event with new ways of reaching the NBA fans in Europe," said adidas executive.
Following is the schedule for the 2007 NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS
Training Camps:
TEAM DATE CITY Boston Celtics Oct. 1-5 Rome Memphis Grizzlies Oct. 5-8 Malaga Minnesota Timberwolves Oct. 1-5 Istanbul Toronto Raptors Oct. 1-5 Treviso
Games:
TEAM DATE CITY ARENA Boston Celtics vs. Toronto Raptors Oct.6 Rome PalaLottomatica Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Efes Pilsen Istanbul Oct. 6 Istanbul Abdi Ipekci Sports Hall Toronto Raptors vs. Lottomatica Roma Oct. 7 Rome PalaLottomatica Memphis Grizzlies vs. Unicaja Oct. 9 Malaga Palacio de Deportes Jose Manuel Martin Carpena Boston Celtics vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Oct. 10 London The O2 Memphis Grizzlies vs. Toronto Raptors Oct. 11 Madrid Palacio de Deportes de la Communidad
The 2007 NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS will mark a special homecoming for some of the players involved including Toronto Raptors rookie Andrea Bargnani, a native of Italy. Toronto's Jose Calderon and Jorge Garbajosa, both natives of Spain, will play in Madrid for the first time wearing a Raptors uniform. Spain's most celebrated basketball player Pau Gasol will make his second appearance in the country with the Memphis Grizzlies. Memphis last played in Barcelona in 2003. In addition, Toronto's Vice President and Assistant General Manager, Maurizio Gheradini will be returning home to Italy where he served as Benetton Treviso's Executive Director and General Manager for 14 years.
EA SPORTS, adidas, Champion, Powerade and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority will return as pan-European marketing partners for the 2007 event. They will conduct a variety of NBA-themed promotional activities to reach NBA fans across Europe.
An NBA licensee since 1991, EA expanded its relationship with the league to become an official global marketing partner of the NBA to develop interactive basketball programs around the world, including NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS. The award-winning NBA LIVE video game franchise, recognized worldwide for delivering the most authentic interactive basketball experience for more than a decade, will be featured in promotion of the events throughout Europe and the U.S. The newest iteration in the series, NBA LIVE 07, is currently available in more than 100 countries on six continents. EA Sports will partner with the NBA and Euroleague Basketball to conduct a series of promotional activities leading up to the start of the event.
About the NBA
The NBA, founded in 1946, is a global sports and entertainment brand that features 30 teams in the United States and Canada. During the 2005-06 season, the NBA distributed 44,000 hours of programming to 215 countries and territories in 43 languages. The league's worldwide reach can also be seen with 85 international players on NBA rosters. As fans witness tremendous performances on the court, some of the NBA's most significant efforts occur off the court. This past year, the league launched its most ambitious community outreach endeavor, NBA Cares. Over a five-year span, players and teams will raise and contribute $100 million for charity, donate more than one million hours of volunteer service to communities worldwide, and build more than 100 educational and athletic facilities where children can learn and play. For more information on the NBA, visit NBA.com.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is the world's leading interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for videogame systems, personal computers, cellular handsets and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTS, EA, EA SPORTS BIG and POGO. In fiscal 2005, EA posted revenues of $3.1 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.
About Euroleague Basketball
Europe's premier basketball competition, Euroleague Basketball S.L, was founded in 2000 under a private organizational model that is considered a breakthrough for European professional team sports. The competition features 24 clubs from 12 or more countries per season and crowns its' champion each spring at the Euroleague Final Four, one of the signature events of European sports. The 2006 - 2007 Euroleague Final Four will take place in Athens, Greece, May 4 - 6. Basketball in Europe has experienced spectacular growth in recent years, along with the development of Euroleague Basketball. In just six years, Euroleague Basketball has consolidated a competition of the highest sporting level, has introduced the concept of a professional league to Europe and has expanded its television reach beyond Europe, where 100 percent of all Euroleague Basketball games were televised in 2005-06, reaching coverage in all the five continents for the 2006-07 season.