MILAN MARKS FIRST STOP FOR 2010 adidas NBA 5 UNITED TOUR

adidas and the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today that Milan will be the first of three European cities to host the adidas NBA 5 United Tour, a grassroots event combining outdoor 5-on-5 games with interactive basketball elements. The event, now in its fourth year, tips off in Milan, May 31 – June 13 before traveling to Madrid, Spain June 26-27 culminating in Paris, France September 4-5.
“As the NBA’s official outfitter, it is an honor to help the NBA spread the love for the game of basketball to every corner of the globe,” said Lawrence Norman, adidas Vice President, Global Basketball. The NBA 5 United Tour is a perfect example of how we can do this by enabling European basketball fans the opportunity to get a piece of the NBA dream through this great 5-on-5 tournament.”

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“The adidas NBA 5 UNITED Tour is another example of how the NBA and adidas are working together to grow the game of basketball,” said Sophie Goldschmidt, Senior Vice President, NBA EMEA. “This event is an important grass roots platform for us to bring an exciting blend of basketball competitions and attractions, while also helping to expand the NBA merchandise business with adidas in Europe.”
In Milan, the 2010 adidas NBA 5 United Tour will expand to a two-week Summer League event with teams required to enter a qualification round with games to be staged at a variety of basketball courts across the city, May 31- June 11. The final 60 teams then qualify for the finals weekend to take place at Piazza Cannone, on June 12-13.

The Tour is open to both male and female players, aged 14 and over. All skill levels are welcome to register teams of between 5-7 players that will play a minimum of three games during the qualification phase. Teams can register at select adidas stores and additional event details can be found at 5united.nba.com.
This year’s 5 United Tour will feature daily final competitions on Center Court, opportunities for spectators to participate in various basketball activities including a three-point shootout and a slam dunk competition as well as entertainment from NBA Dance Teams and NBA player appearances.

EA SPORTS will support adidas NBA 5 United at all tour stops conducting daily competitions with their popular game, NBA Live ‘10, challenging gamers inside the EA SPORTS Video Arcade. In addition, The Slam Dunk Court will be another area where players can show off their dunking abilities on baskets at varied heights.

5 UNITED TOUR SCHEDULE 2010
COUNTRY & CITIES QUALIFICATION DATES FINALS
LOCATIONS FINALS
DATES
ITALY: Milan May 31- June 11 Parco Sempione
June 12-13
SPAIN: Madrid NA Stadio Bernabeu
June 26-27
France: Paris NA Place de l’Hotel de Ville Sept 4-5

About the NBA
The NBA, founded in 1946, is a global sports and entertainment brand that features 30 teams in the United States and Canada. During the 2009-10 season, NBA games will reach 215 countries and territories in 41 languages. The league’s worldwide reach will be reflected in the 83 international players from 36 countries and territories on NBA rosters. NBA merchandise is sold in more than 100,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents. NBA.com averages more than five million daily visits, with more than 50 percent of the site’s visitors come from outside of North America.