The Los Angeles Clippers will head to Moscow, Russia to conduct training camp at Universal Sport Hall CSKA during the first week of October and play exhibition games against CSKA Moscow and Unics Kazan October 6-8 as part of NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS™, the NBA, Euroleague Basketball, CSKA Moscow and Unics Kazan announced today.
To commemorate this announcement, there will be a press conference at ITAR TASS press center on December 15 at 16.00. The event will feature NBA Legend Dominique Wilkins, NBA senior vice-president Andrew Messick , PBC CSKA CEO Sergey Kuschenko and UNICS Kazan president Eugeny Bogachev.
“We are pleased to have the Los Angeles Clippers represent the NBA in Moscow as part of the most ambitious international competition in league history,” said NBA Commissioner David Stern. “In partnership with Euroleague Basketball, EA Sports, CSKA Moscow and Unics Kazan, we will bring the highest level of competition to fans in Russia as we further celebrate the game of basketball.”
It also will be the first time an NBA team has played in Russia since 1988 when the Atlanta Hawks became the first NBA team to play in the former Soviet Union when they toured Russia, Lithuania and the Republic of Georgia.
NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS™ is part of a two-year partnership agreement between the NBA, Electronic Arts and Euroleague Basketball. In October 2006, the tour also will feature three other NBA teams. Each of the four NBA teams will be based in a different European city during the first week of October.
The Philadelphia 76ers will hold training camp in Barcelona, Spain and take part in an exhibition game against FC Barcelona at the Palau Sant Jordi. The San Antonio Spurs will head to Lyon, France for training camp at the Astroballe and play a game against the French team Adecco ASVEL Lyon-Villeurbanne on Oct. 5. The team will then travel to Paris for a game against back-to-back Euroleague Basketball Champions Maccabi Tel Aviv at the Palais Omnisport Paris Bercy on Oct. 8.
NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS™ will conclude with a tournament at the Kölnarena in Cologne, Germany. The tournament will feature games between the 76ers and the Suns and between the 2005-06 Euroleague Basketball Champion and Euroleague Basketball runner-up on Oct. 10. The finale will feature matchups on Oct. 11 between the winners and the runners-up of each game. Ticket sales for each game of the tour will be announced at a later date.
“This event will showcase many of the best teams from both Europe and the NBA,” said Euroleague Basketball CEO Jordi Bertomeu. “It will help contribute to the development of the sport across the continent and give European fans a courtside seat to all the action and excitement.”
An NBA licensee since 1991, EA expanded its relationship with the league to become an official global marketing partner of the NBA to develop interactive basketball programs around the world, including NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS. The award-winning NBA LIVE video game franchise, recognized worldwide for delivering the most authentic interactive basketball experience for more than a decade, will be featured in promotion of the events throughout Europe and the U.S. The newest iteration in the series, NBA LIVE 06, is currently available in more than 100 countries on six continents. EA Sports will partner with the NBA and Euroleague Basketball to conduct a series of promotional activities leading up to the start of the event.
"By teaming with the NBA to grow the sport of basketball in Europe, this event will bring some of the world's most exciting teams and players to the continent,” said Jan Bolz, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing at EA. “A partnership with the NBA in Europe will provide us with an opportunity to showcase NBA LIVE on the largest of stages and offers a great platform for consumers to enjoy real life and virtual basketball experiences across the continent. It’s an added bonus that one of our European cover athletes, Tony Parker, will be participating in his home country.”
The event will also be historic for the participating teams. For Allen Iverson and the 76ers, it will mark the team’s first trip to Europe. Previously, the team has participated in exhibition games in Puerto Rico and Mexico.
This also will be the first trip to Europe for the Clippers, who have played games in Japan and Mexico. The Clippers forward Yaroslav Korolev is one of five players in the NBA from Russia.
It is a return to Italy for Phoenix Suns Head Coach Mike D’Antoni, who also holds Italian citizenship and speaks the language fluently. An Italian League legend, he coached Benetton Treviso from 1994-97 when his team captured the Cup of Europe and Cup of Italy in 1995 and won the league title in 1996-97 after a 22-4 regular season. Prior to that D’Antoni guided Philips Milan for four seasons from 1990-94 and led the club to the 1993 Korac Cup. During his Italian tenure D’Antoni led his teams to the playoffs each season and was twice voted the league’s Coach of the Year. In 2001-02 he returned to the Italian League and once again coached Benetton Treviso, leading the club to the Italian League championship after a 28-8 season.
This will mark the third trip to Europe for the San Antonio Spurs since 1999. The team visited Paris, France in 2003 for the NBA Europe Games and Milan, Italy for the 1999 McDonald’s Championship. The Spurs feature the most international players on one team with seven, including France’s Tony Parker.
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