Nike Announces Partnership With Euroleague Basketball
June 28 2007 - 3:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
World's Number One Basketball Brand Joins Forces with Europe's
Premier Basketball League HILVERSUM, Netherlands, June 28
/PRNewswire/ -- Nike and Euroleague Basketball have announced a new
five-year partnership to make Nike the official basketball supplier
for Euroleague competition. The union of the world's number one
basketball brand with two of the best Pan-European basketball
competitions is the latest demonstration of both organizations'
commitment to growing the game in Europe. (Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070628/AQTH003) (Logo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990818/NIKELOGO) The league's
24 teams and ULEB Cup�s 54 teams will be playing with the Nike 4005
Tournament Ball for the 2008 season, as well as a series of
pre-season events, including the Euroleague China Tour in October.
The 4005 Tournament ball will tip-off in its first official
Euroleague play at the ULEB Summer League this weekend in Jesolo,
Italy. The 4005 Tournament basketball's 4-panel design utilizes
less converging lines so the shooter can place his or her hands in
the optimal shooting position quickly. The panel material is
composite (or synthetic) leather with a microfiber backer that
keeps sweat from collecting on the surface of the ball for a sure
handle and soft touch. "The partnership with Euroleague Basketball
will further strengthen our connection to the global game of
basketball," said Jim Savino, General Manager of Basketball for
Nike Europe, Middle East and Africa. "We look forward to bringing
together our 35 years of basketball heritage and design expertise
with Euroleague's talented players and passionate fans." "We are
excited to announce this new pan-European partnership, bringing the
best of European basketball to the top of professional enterprise.
Thanks to the application and hard work from many teams and
leagues, we are today able to broker such a deal," said Jordi
Bertomeu CEO of Euroleague Basketball. "We know that Nike can bring
a lot of positive results in professional basketball and we are
happy to be a part of that growth". About Nike Inc. Nike, Inc.
based near Beaverton, Oregon is the world's leading designer,
marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear, apparel,
equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and fitness
activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse Inc.,
which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear, apparel
and accessories; Bauer NIKE Hockey Inc., a leading designer and
distributor of hockey equipment; Cole Haan, which designs, markets,
and distributes fine dress and casual shoes and accessories; Hurley
International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes action
sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories and
Exeter Brands Group LLC, which designs and markets athletic
footwear and apparel for the value retail channel. About Euroleague
Basketball Euroleague Basketball S.L. was founded in 2000 under a
private organizational model considered to be 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, now a signature event on
the world sports stage. The 2007 Euroleague Final Four generated
record crowds at the OAKA arena in Athens, Greece. Euroleague
Basketball has experienced spectacular growth in six seasons thanks
to annual attendance and television coverage records. Compared to
the inaugural 2000-01 season, attendance has increased 250%.
Euroleague Basketball's television presence expanded to 163
countries on five continents, including for the first time
retransmission of the Final Four in China. Euroleague Basketball is
the reference in European basketball.
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070628/AQTH003
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990818/NIKELOGO
http://photoarchive.ap.org/ DATASOURCE: Nike, Inc. CONTACT: Nate
Tobecksen of Nike, Inc., +31356269612, ; or Kirsten Haack of
Euroleague Basketball S.L., +34933278427, Web site:
http://www.nikebiz.com/
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