NEW YORK -- The Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association, and Regal FC Barcelona (FCB) and AJ Milano from Euroleague Basketball, will play a series of preseason games this October as part of NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS"!, the NBA, the Euroleague, and EA SPORTS announced today. Barcelona, London, Milan, and Paris will host the games.
"NBA Europe Live and the return of NBA teams to Europe for a fifth consecutive year is a testament to our ongoing commitment to grow the game of basketball and engage our fans in the region," said NBA Commissioner David Stern. "Through the support of our partners, including EA SPORTS, the game continues to grow and thrive in Europe, and fans in four cities will be able to witness first hand the exciting brands of basketball of both the NBA and the Euroleague."
Following the 2010 Europe Live Tour, 54 games featuring 23 NBA teams will have been played in 18 cities in Europe since 1988. The sold out 2009 tour was televised in 209 countries and territories and was supported by 18 marketing and promotional partners.
"We are pleased to continue this partnership with the NBA and are proud of our role in helping to present the world's best basketball across Europe," said Peter Moore, President, EA SPORTS. "As the popularity of this event and the sport grows in Europe, it becomes the ultimate platform to support NBA basketball and the globalization of our NBA LIVE videogame. NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS has become a pillar of our basketball business and is a great way for fans to experience these exciting games and NBA LIVE in some of the world's best cities."
"For a fifth consecutive year, Euroleague Basketball and the National Basketball Association team up to offer fans in Europe the best basketball has to offer; some of the world's most prominent basketball teams battling it out in some exciting preseason games," said Euroleague Basketball CEO Jordi Bertomeu. "We are very happy to have entered this fifth season with the NBA and hope to continue developing the sport of basketball globally through such exciting collaborations and events."
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Inaugural presenting partner since 2006, EA SPORTS will activate together with a range of local partners to bring the game closer to fans through a series of free interactive fan events in each host city, with details to be announced. adidas will also return as a Pan European partner of NBA Europe Live for the fifth consecutive year and will utilize the tour to launch the company's new rights as of October 2010 to commercialize on-court uniforms and apparel in Europe.
NBA Europe Live 2010 will tip off on Oct. 3, when the New York Knicks take on Armani Jeans Milano at the Mediolanum Forum in Milan, Italy. AJ Milano, the most titled basketball team in Italy with 25 Italian Championships, four Italian Cups and three European Champions Cups, is the former team of Knicks forward Danilo Gallinari (2006-08) and Knicks Head Coach Mike D'Antoni (1978-90). D'Antoni is the team's all-time leading scorer and went on to coach the team for four seasons (1990-94) winning the Korac Cup in 1993.
The O2 in London, England, will host NBA teams for the fourth consecutive year, when the 2008-09 NBA Champion Los Angeles Lakers play the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 4. The Timberwolves, who played in London in 2007, will take on the Lakers, who will be making their first trip internationally since 1991, when they played games in Paris, France.
The French capital will host the Knicks and Timberwolves for their second contest on Oct.6 at the Palais Omnisports Paris Bercy. This will be the ninth game to feature an NBA team in Paris since 1991. The Knicks last played in Europe in 1990 in Barcelona.
The NBA Europe Live tour will conclude at the Palau Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain, when the Los Angeles Lakers take on Regal FC Barcelona on Oct. 7. The Lakers' Pau Gasol, a two-time Most Valuable Player with FCB, will return to play against his former team. Renowned as one of the most formidable teams in European basketball history, FCB, who recently qualified for the 2010 Euroleague Final Four, counts five European titles, 15 Spanish League titles, and 20 Spanish National Cup titles among its accomplishments.
In addition to the on-court action during NBA Europe Live 2010, the NBA will also conduct a variety of community events and programs in Barcelona, London, Milan and Paris as part of its NBA Cares initiative. Since 2005, the NBA family has helped create and build more than 465 places where children and families can live, learn or play around the world, including 16 in Europe as part of NBA Europe Live.
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