By Official Release
Posted Nov 24 2008 12:50PM
This partnership combines the extensive global reach of the NBA with the dynamic entertainment product of the Globetrotters. The NBA and Harlem Globetrotters will work together in planning and promoting the Globetrotters' international slate of games and events. The partnership will debut this February when the Globetrotters take part in a number of activities during NBA All-Star 2009, which is the NBA's global showcase with the game and events televised around the world.
"The Harlem Globetrotters are world famous and synonymous with fun family entertainment," said Heidi Ueberroth, NBA President, Global Marketing Partnerships and International Business Operations. "We are pleased to enter into this partnership which complements our efforts to continue the growth of the game of basketball globally."
"The NBA has long been visionary in its understanding of the synergies between sports and entertainment," said Harlem Globetrotters CEO Kurt Schneider. "We believe our unique and proprietary brand of basketball showmanship, paired with the expertise and infrastructure of the NBA's global operation, is an unbeatable combination for both organizations, and for basketball all over the world. Through this partnership, we can bring more Globetrotter fun to more fans on more platforms worldwide."
The NBA is global, with games televised in 215 countries and in 41 different languages. This past offseason, the NBA hosted more than 135 international events in 93 cities in 25 countries. The league has international offices in Beijing, Hong Kong, Istanbul, London, Madrid, Mexico City, Paris, Shanghai, Seoul, Taipei, Tokyo, and Toronto. At the start of this season, the NBA features 75 international players from 32 countries and territories.
The world famous Harlem Globetrotters recently visited the 120th country in their illustrious eight-decade history when they showcased their unique brand of family entertainment in Bosnia and Herzegovina in October. In addition to their annual 240-plus-game domestic schedule, the Globetrotters play more than 100 games a year internationally. The most traveled team in the history of sports, the Globetrotters have helped introduce the game of basketball to many of the countries they have visited in their 83 years of touring the world.
The NBA, founded in 1946, is a global sports and entertainment brand that features 30 teams in the United States and Canada. During the 2008-09 season, NBA games will reach 215 countries and territories in 41 languages. The league's worldwide reach will be reflected in the 75 international players from 32 countries and territories on NBA rosters.
Domestically, the NBA will broadcast 143 regular-season games on national television during the 2008-09 season on ABC, TNT, ESPN and ESPN2. NBA TV, launched in 1999 as the first 24-hour television channel created and operated by a professional sports league, will broadcast an additional 96 games.
NBA merchandise is sold in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA.com averages more than five million daily visits. More than 50 percent of the Web site's visitors come from outside of North America.
NBA Cares is the league's social responsibility initiative that builds on the NBA's long tradition of addressing important social issues in the United States and around the world. Through this umbrella program, the NBA, its teams and players have donated more than $90 million to charity, provided more than 750,000 hours of hands-on service to communities around the world, and created more than 340 places where kids and families can live, learn or play. NBA Cares works with internationally recognized youth-serving programs that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes, including: KaBOOM!, Special Olympics, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, UNICEF, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis.
The Harlem Globetrotters are celebrating their 83rd consecutive season of touring the world in 2009. The Globetrotters have played in 120 countries on six continents, entertaining over 128 million fans and crossing barriers between cultures, societies and people from all walks of life. The Globetrotters are one of only six teams to be inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. For the latest news and information about the Harlem Globetrotters, including their 2008 World Tour schedule, and to purchase team merchandise, visit the team's official Web site: http://www.harlemglobetrotters.com/
As "Ambassadors of Goodwill"?, the Harlem Globetrotters touch the lives of thousands of children nationally and globally each year with their distinctive community outreach programs. The Globetrotters have brought their "C.H.E.E.R.? For Character" program to hundreds of thousands of elementary school students around the world since the program's successful debut in 2004. Created with assistance from the U.S. Department of Education, C.H.E.E.R.? is a fun and interactive presentation that extols the benefits of character development and leading a positive lifestyle. Smile Patrol? is the Globetrotters' progressive hospital outreach program designed to brighten the day and lift the spirits of some very special fans unable to attend a Globetrotters game. Smile Patrol? visits over 200 children's hospitals worldwide annually, spreading joy and creating lifetime memories. S.P.I.N.? (Some Playtime Is Necessary) is the Globetrotters' newly-launched proprietary program aimed at making fitness fun and helping kids cultivate an active lifestyle, as Globetrotter players visit cities around the world, urging kids to get out and play.
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