NBA And Al Mana Fashion Group To Open First NBA Stores In Middle East

First-ever Stores to open in Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) June 23, 2016 - DOHA and LONDON - The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Al Mana Fashion Group announced today a partnership that will see the opening of the first NBA Stores in the Middle East. The first two NBA Stores are scheduled to open in Doha, Qatar, during the 2016-17 NBA season, with additional stores in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to follow.

· First ever National Basketball Association (NBA) stores to open in Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait

· National Basketball Association is one of the most successful sports league in the world

· Basketball is one of the fastest growing sports in the region and the opening of pan-GCC NBA stores reflects this passion

The NBA Stores will provide fans in the Middle East with access to the widest range of official NBA merchandise and memorabilia ever available in the region, including apparel, jerseys, footwear, sporting goods, toys and collectibles. Fans can sign up to receive more information by visiting www.nbastore-me.com.

"This long term project cements the NBA's commitment to grow our footprint across the Middle East," said NBA EMEA Vice President, Global Merchandising Vandana Balachandar. "As the demand for the NBA continues to grow in the Middle East, our partnership with Al Mana Fashion Group will allow us to provide a comprehensive assortment of NBA merchandise while bringing the official NBA shopping experience to our fans in the region."

Amongst the over 400 NBA-branded retail locations globally, the NBA opened its new flagship NBA Store in New York on 45th Street and Fifth Avenue in December 2015 and three other stores are currently operating in Manila with a fourth scheduled to open in Cebu, Philippines in August.

"The National Basketball Association is one of the most successful sports leagues in the world and is watched and enjoyed by millions of people around the globe," said Andrew Fairall, General Manager of Al Mana Fashion Group - Sports Division. "With basketball being one of the fastest growing categories in sports retail in the region, we are very excited to be working with such an iconic brand as we build an exciting new chapter in our illustrious legacy in the Middle East."

NBA fans in the Middle East can continue to shop online on NBAStore.eu for a wide range of NBA merchandise, including exclusive product from all 30 NBA teams.

Fans can also download the NBA App for news and updates, scores, stats, schedules, videos and more.

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 2015-16 season featured 100 international players from 37 countries and territories. NBA Digital's assets include NBA.com and the NBA app, which achieved record traffic during the 2014-15 season, as well as NBA TV. The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than one 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.

More than 250 licensees manufacture, sell, and market NBA-branded products that are sold in more than 125,000 retail locations in 100 countries on six continents, including more than 400 NBA-branded store locations around the world. In addition to the league's domestic e-commerce site, NBAStore.com, the NBA has ten dedicated international e-commerce sites: NBAStore.com.au (Australia), LojaNBA.com (Brazil), NBA.TMall.com (China), NBAStore.eu (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), NBAStore.hk (Hong Kong), NBAStore.in (India), NBAStore.co.id (Indonesia), NBATienda.com (Mexico), NBAStore.com.nz (New Zealand), and NBAStore.tw (Taiwan).

About Al Mana Group
Al Mana is a Qatari conglomerate operating over 55 companies in 8 countries and employing over 3500 personnel. Industry activities include automotive distribution and services, real estate and investments, retail, food and beverage, engineering, technology, media and entertainment. The group covers most areas of retail including luxury goods, beauty, fashion, sporting goods, home interiors, watches and jewelry. Operating over 300 outlets, Al Mana represents some of the largest and most successful brands in the world. The group is owned and operated by Hisham Saleh Al Mana, Kamal Saleh Al Mana and Wissam Saleh Al Mana, sons of the late Saleh Al Hamad Al Mana, in their capacity as executive directors. For more information: http://www.almana.com/

Contacts

Carol Avison
PR Director
Mobile: +971 50 354 6811
Email: carol ( @ ) word-communications dot com

Tom Marchesi
Communications Director
NBA EMEA
Tel: +44 20 7295 8921
Mobile: +44 7515 186 830
Email: tmarchesi ( @ ) nba dot com

Shifa Thakur
PR Account Manager
Mobile: +971 55 617 1239
Email: shifa ( @ ) zed-communications dot com

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