NBA Europe Live 2012 presented by BBVA to showcase the Boston Celtics, Dallas Mavericks and top Euroleague teams

The four-game tour tips off on October 5, when the 17-time NBA Champion Boston Celtics play five-time Turkish champions Fenerbahce Ulker Estambul at the newly opened, state-of-the-art Ulker Sports Arena in Istanbul, Turkey. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) June 30, 2012 - The O2 World in Berlin, Germany, will be the venue for the homecoming of German national Dirk Nowitzki as the 2011 NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks take on eight-time German Champions Alba Berlin on October 6. Next stop is Milan, Italy, where 25-time Italian Champions EA7 Emporio Armani will match up against the Celtics at the Mediolanum Forum on October 7. The Mavericks will play an additional game in Spain with details to be announced in the near future.

“Returning to Europe with two storied NBA franchises for the sixth installment of the NBA Europe Live presented by BBVA is a testament to our commitment to bringing more live games and events to our fans in Europe,” said Benjamin Morel, Senior Vice President, NBA Europe. “As part of our longstanding collaboration with Euroleague Basketball and with the support of BBVA and all of our partners, fans can look forward to an exciting blend of basketball action, interactive fan events and community-based initiatives as the sport of basketball thrives across the continent.”

“Since 2006 both of the leading basketball competitions, Euroleague Basketball and the NBA, have been coming together to offer fans spectacular basketball and this year is no exception,” said Roser Queralto, Euroleague Basketball’s Chief Business Development Officer. “Some of the best and historic teams from the NBA will face off with some of the strongest Euroleague and European teams for some exciting preseason games to warm up for the next season.”

BBVA and Garanti Bank at the Celtics vs. Fenerbahce game

"Through this initiative, BBVA brings the excitement of the NBA to fans in Spain and Turkey, an important country for BBVA given its investment in Garanti Bank. Also, with the help of the NBA, we will help bring world-class basketball to other European cities, such as Berlin and Milan. The tour in Europe reinforces our global sponsorship strategy, intended to provide extraordinary content to fans through our brand. As the official bank of the NBA, BBVA shares the values of effort, self-improvement and teamwork embodied by the best basketball league in the world” said Mafe Laverde, Director of Sponsorships at BBVA.

BBVA, the official bank of the NBA, will serve as presenting partner of NBA Europe Live, with partner bank Garanti Bank, to be presenting the partner for the game in Istanbul. Adidas will return as a Pan-European partner, a position it has held for all six editions of the tour. American Express will also return as a partner providing premium ticket access to Card members across the Tour.

Following the NBA Europe Live Tour 2012, over 450,000 fans will have attended 32 Europe Live games in 12 cities since the inaugural NBA Europe Live series that took place in 2006. In total, 60 games featuring 25 NBA teams will have been played in 18 cities in Europe since 1988.

Extensive community events and programs will again compliment the on-court action in each of the four cities. As part of its NBA Cares initiative, the NBA family has helped create and build 23 places in Europe where children and families can live, learn or play in nine European countries. NBA Europe Live 2012 will also consist of a range of activities for fans in addition to the games, including interactive fan events, basketball development programs, player appearances and more.

NBA Communications
Tom Marchesi
NBA EMEA Communications, +44 20 7795 8921
tmarchesi ( @ ) nba dot com

Euroleague Basketball Communications
Diego Fernández
+34 933 278 427
diego.fernandez ( @ ) euroleague dot net

BBVA Corporate Communications
Jesús de las Heras
Tel: +91 374 39 80
comunicacion.corporativa ( @ ) grupobbva dot com

About the NBA

The NBA is a global sports and media business that features 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 offices in 15 markets worldwide, games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 47 languages, and NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. Current NBA rosters feature 78 international players from 39 countries and territories. The NBA’s digital assets include NBA TV, which is available in 59.4 million U.S. homes, and NBA.com, which averages more than 35 million page views per day, more than half of which originate from outside of North America. The NBA is the No. 1 professional sports league on social media, with more than 240 million fans and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms. Through NBA Cares, the league and its teams and players have donated more than 0 million to charity, completed more than 1.9 million hours of hands-on community service, and created more than 700 places where kids and families can live, learn, or play.

About Turkish Airlines Euroleague Basketball

A global leader in sports management, the Turkish Airlines Euroleague Basketball is enjoying its second decade of sustained growth as an innovative organizer of elite competitions and events. It now manages the continent's two premier basketball competitions, the Turkish Airlines Euroleague and the Eurocup, consisting of more than 50 teams from as many as 25 countries. Euroleague Basketball also directs the Nike International Junior Tournament, which crowns a young men's continental champion each spring. Through the Euroleague Basketball Institute and Euroleague For Life, the company promotes educational and charitable initiatives as varied as coaching clinics and benefit concerts that draw guests from around the world.

About BBVA

BBVA is a customer-centric global financial services group founded in 1857. The Group has a solid position in Spain, it is the largest financial institution in Mexico and it has leading franchises in South America and the Sunbelt Region of the United States. Its diversified business is biased to high-growth markets and it relies on technology as a key sustainable competitive advantage. BBVA ranks among the leading Euro zone banks in terms of ROE and efficiency. Corporate responsibility is at the core of its business model. BBVA fosters financial education and inclusion, and supports scientific research and culture. It operates with the highest integrity, a long-term vision and applies the best practices. The Group is present in the main sustainability indexes.

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