First NBA Filipino Heritage Week to Celebrate Philippine Culture

The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced the first NBA Filipino Heritage Week to celebrate Philippine culture with millions of Filipino fans around the world.  The celebration in the Philippines, which will run from March 13-19, will feature a viewing party attended by an NBA legend, an NBA Cares event, and social media activations on the NBA’s Facebook andTwitter accounts in the Philippines.

As part of NBA Filipino Heritage Week, the Golden State Warriors and the Miami Heat will host Filipino Heritage Nights in March, featuring in-arena Philippine-themed activations including musical performances and giveaways.  All three games will be available in the Philippines on Basketball TV, with the Heat-Minnesota Timberwolves and Warriors-Milwaukee Bucks matchups also airing on ABS-CBN Channel 2 and Sports + Action respectively.

“The first NBA Filipino Heritage Week is the perfect opportunity for the NBA to celebrate the support of our Filipino fans around the world,” said NBA Philippines Managing Director Carlo Singson.  “The activities in the Philippines, Miami and Oakland will showcase the country’s vibrant culture and passion for basketball.”

In addition, there will be specially designed merchandise to commemorate the first-ever Filipino Heritage Week.

NBA Filipino Heritage Week Matchups include:

·         March 16 (March 15 U.S.) – Heat vs. New Orleans Pelicans: Head Coach and Filipino-American Erik Spoelstra, Hassan Whiteside and the Heat will face four-time NBA All-Star Anthony Davis and the Pelicans (Basketball TV)

·         March 18 (March 17 U.S.) – Heat vs. Timberwolves: The Heat will matchup against reigning Kia NBA Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves (ABS-CBN, Basketball TV and NBA Premium TV)

·         March 19 (March 18 U.S.) – Warriors vs. Bucks: Reigning back-to-back Kia NBA MVP Stephen Curry and seven-time NBA All-Star Kevin Durant will take on 2017 NBA All-Star Giannis Antetokounmpo and the visiting Bucks (Sports + Action and Basketball TV)

Fans can also watch Filipino Heritage Night games on NBA LEAGUE PASS.  Globe Telecom subscribers are also eligible for exclusive NBA packages available in three service offerings: NBA499 for a 30-day premium access, NBA299 for 7 days, and NBA50 for a 24-hour access. Globe users must text the preferred NBA promo keyword (NBA499, NBA299, NBA50) to 8080 to begin the registration process.  

More details on the first NBA Filipino Heritage Week will be announced in the coming weeks.  For all the latest news and updates on the NBA, visitwww.nba.com, download the NBA app and follow the NBA on Facebook (www.facebook.com/philsnba) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/nba_philippines).

About the NBA

The NBA is a global sports and media business built around three professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, and the NBA Development League.  The league has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 49 languages, and NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on 6 continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2016-17 season featured a record 113 international players from 41 countries and territories.  NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, NBA.com and the NBA App, which achieved record viewership and traffic during the 2015-16 season.  The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than 1.3 billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes

FOR FIRST TIME, NBA PLAYERS AND MEDIA WILL JOIN FANS IN SELECTING STARTING LINEUPS FOR NBA ALL-STAR 2017

For the first time ever, NBA players and basketball media will join fans in selecting the starters for NBA All-Star 2017 in New Orleans.  NBA All-Star Voting 2017 presented by Verizon will tip off at 11 a.m. ET on Sunday, Dec. 25before an exciting lineup of five Christmas Day matchups on ABC and ESPN. 

Fans were first given the opportunity to vote for NBA All-Star starters during the 1974-75 season.  This year, the league will extend the platform to include two other important constituents of the game – NBA players and NBA media.  Fans will account for 50 percent of the vote, while all current players and a panel of basketball media will account for 25 percent each.

Players and media will be able to complete one full ballot, featuring three frontcourt players and two guards from both the Eastern and Western Conference.  Players may vote for their teammates or themselves.

NBA fans may submit one full ballot each day through NBA.com, the NBA App (available on Android and iOS), Twitter, Facebook and Google Search, as well as via Sina Weibo and Tencent Microblogs in China.  All current NBA players will be available for selection. 

How to vote:

• NBA.com voting page at NBA.com/vote: Fill out one full ballot per day (per day is defined as once every 24 hours) on NBA.com/vote from a desktop or mobile browser.  Fans can select up to two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference when choosing starters.  

• NBA App: Access the ballot and vote through the app, which is available on Android and iOS.  Fans can fill out one full ballot per day, and select up to two guards and three frontcourt players from each conference when choosing starters.

• Twitter: Tweet, retweet or reply with an NBA player’s first and last name or Twitter handle, along with the hashtag #NBAVOTE.  Each Tweet may include only one player’s name or handle.  Fans may vote for 10 unique players each day throughout the NBA All-Star voting period. 

• Facebook: Post the player’s first and last name along with the hashtag #NBAVOTE on your personal Facebook account, or comment on another’s Facebook post.   Each post may include only one player’s name.  Fans may post votes for 10 unique players per day throughout the voting period. 

• Google Search: Search “NBA Vote All-Star” or “NBA Vote Team Name” (ex: NBA Vote Celtics), and use respective voting cards to select teams and then players.  Fans may submit votes for 10 unique players per day throughout the voting period.

Fan voting updates will be shared on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2017, and Thursday, Jan. 12.  Voting will conclude on Monday, Jan. 16 at 11:59 p.m. ET.  Starters will be announced live on TNT on Thursday, Jan. 19, during a special one-hour edition of TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by Autotrader.com at 7 p.m. ET, featuring Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and Kenny Smith.  The special will air prior to TNT’s exclusive doubleheader featuring the Washington Wizards at the New York Knicks (8 p.m. ET) and the Minnesota Timberwolves at the LA Clippers (10:30 p.m. ET).  The Eastern Conference and Western Conference All-Star reserves, as selected by NBA head coaches, will be announced the following week on Thursday, Jan. 26. 

About NBA All-Star 2017

NBA All-Star 2017 in New Orleans will bring together some of the most talented and passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the game.  The 66^thNBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday, Feb. 19 at Smoothie King Center, will reach fans in more than 200 countries and territories in more than 40 languages.  TNT will televise the All-Star Game for the 15^th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports’ 32^nd year of NBA All-Star coverage.  Smoothie King Center will also host the BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge on Friday, Feb. 17 and State Farm All-StarSaturday Night on Saturday, Feb. 18.  The NBA All-Star Practice, NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and NBA Development League All-Star Game presented by Kumho Tire will take place at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

*This is Press Release

NBA Store Philippines Marks NBA Cares 10th Anniversary with Donation to Knowledge Channel Foundation

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and NBA Store Philippines, managed by International Athletic Trading Company, Inc. (IATC), donated Php 235,000 to Knowledge Channel Foundation, Inc. (KCFI) for the benefit of students of Yapak, Talaga, and Roman Tantiangco Elementary Schools, mountain communities in Morong, Rizal. NBA Store Philippines staged a retail promotion that donates a portion of NBA Name and Number T-shirt sales proceeds from Aug. 10 to Sept. 13 to KCFI to commemorate the 10-year anniversary of NBA Cares. The donation will fund multimedia learning resources and teacher workshops for the three public schools.  Last Nov. 11, NBA Philippines Managing Director Carlo Singson and IATC Vice President of Marketing Bea Lim presented the cheque donation to KCFI Head of Access Doris Nuval at the NBA Store in Glorietta 3.

NBA Brings the Game Closer to Its Fans in Asia-Pacific

With the start of the 2016-17 NBA season, basketball fans across Asia-Pacific will have more access to the NBA than ever before through a variety of touchpoints spanning television, internet and mobile distribution of NBA games and programming, localized content on digital destinations and social media accounts, merchandising, and on-ground events.  With more than 65 partners in the region and the myriad ways to access the NBA, there has never been a better time to be an NBA fan.

The range of experiences from the NBA and its partners include:  

GAMES & PROGRAMMING *excluding Greater China and India

·         Fans can access NBA games and programming via the following television, mobile and digital partners:

• Australia – ESPN
• Japan – Fuji TV, NHK, WOWOW, DAZN
• Korea – SpoTV, NAVER
• Malaysia – Astro
• Mongolia – SPS
• New Zealand – ESPN, TVNZ
• Philippines – ABS-CBN, Fox Sports, Globe Telecom, BTV, NBA Premium 
• Singapore – ELEVEN SPORTS NETWORK
• Thailand – True Visions
• Vietnam – VT Cable

LEAGUE PASS

·         NBA games and programming is accessible through NBA LEAGUE PASS, available in all countries across Asia-Pacific.

·         NBA LEAGUE PASS, the league’s live games subscription service which allows fans to watch every NBA game live and on-demand, tips off the 2016-17 NBA season with new features designed for basketball fans.  From a variety of game packages to multi-screen views of the action, NBA LEAGUE PASS will deliver more ways to experience the NBA. This year’s features include:

o   AROUND THE LEAGUE RECAPS: This new series wraps up the day’s action with the best content from around the league.

o   ON-DEMAND CHOICES: Fans have the ability to download replays of full-length games or condensed games for convenient on-the-go viewing.

o   NBA RAPID REPLAY: A new highlights feature providing fans with in-the-moment updates on great NBA action from around the league. NBA RAPID REPLAY can be accessed as part of the live game experience from the NBA App on iOS and Android.

o   NBA MOBILE VIEW: A completely new way to watch basketball on mobile devices and tablets, the new NBA Mobile View meets the needs of today’s sports fans and their desire to consume content on the best screen available by providing a zoomed-in, tighter shot of the action that it optimized for the smaller screen size of mobile devices.

o   VIDEO ARCHIVES: NBA LEAGUE PASS opens up the NBA vaults providing fans with more access than ever before to classic games, interviews, highlights and documentaries, including 60 hours of new content.  Throughout the season, new NBA content will be added to the Video Archives.

o   VIRTUAL REALITY: The NBA and NextVR, the leader in broadcasting live events in virtual reality, will live stream at least one NBA LEAGUE PASS game per week in virtual reality during the 2016-17 season.  Fans with a Samsung Gear VR headset and a compatible Samsung smartphone can experience the free preview by accessing the NBA Channel within the NextVR app. Later this season, the offering will be expanded to support additional VR headset options. 

·         NBA LEAGUE PASS also returns with two offerings introduced last year – NBA SINGLE GAME and NBA TEAM CHOICE.  NBA SINGLE GAME will once again allow fans to watch individual live games, while NBA TEAM CHOICE, available for all 30 NBA teams, will give them the option to follow one team, so they can watch their favorite player all season long.

·         Globe Telecom, the official wireless and broadband services partner of the NBA in the Philippines, offers day passes to all its subscribers.

·         Fans will be able to enjoy the subscription-based service across computers, tablets and mobile phones, as well as a wide variety of connected devices including the Apple TV and PlayStation®4.

SOCIAL MEDIA

·         Fans can enjoy localized NBA content through a variety of social media platforms:

o   Australia – Facebook, Twitter and LINE

o   Indonesia – Facebook, Twitter and LINE

o   Japan – Facebook, Twitter and LINE

o   New Zealand – Facebook and Twitter

o   Philippines – Facebook, Twitter and LINE

·         “Friend” the NBA’s official account on LINE by adding @nba_global.

DIGITAL DESTINATIONS

·         The League has four official localized digital destinations in Asia-Pacific:

o   Australia – www.sportingnews.com/au/nba

o   Japan – www.nba.co.jp

o   New Zealand – www.sportal.co.nz/nba

o   Philippines – www.nba.com/philippines

EVENTS

·         Jr. NBA, the league’s global youth basketball participation program for boys and girls, has reached more than 1.5 million kids, parents and coaches across Southeast Asia.  The program, which completed its third year in Asia-Pacific, returns in January 2017.  Jr. NBA is currently active across six countries:

o   Indonesia

o   Malaysia

o   Philippines

o   Singapore

o   Thailand

o   Vietnam

·         Fans, parents and coaches can visit www.jrnba.asia to learn more about the Jr. NBA program in Asia.

MERCHANDISE

·         Fans can purchase official NBA licensed merchandise through the following retailers across Asia-Pacific:

• Australia – More than 90 Rebel stores
• Japan – 70 Xebio stores
• Korea – 113 NBA shops
• Philippines – 3 NBA Stores:

§  Ayala Center, Glorietta 3

§  Ayala Trinoma

§  SM Megamall, Fashion Hall

• NBA merchandise can also be purchased from the following official online NBA Stores:
• Australia – www.nbastore.com.au
• Indonesia – www.nbastore.co.id  
• New Zealand – www.nbastore.co.nz
• NBA merchandise is also available at select Adidas and Foot Locker stores throughout Asia-Pacific.

*This is Press Release