Nike Announces Partnership With Euroleague Basketball

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., [phone],

; or Kirsten Haack of Euroleague Basketball S.L.,

[phone], 



Web site:  http://www.nikebiz.com/ 

Copyright