LONDON, June 30, 2009 – NBA Jam Van presented by EA SPORTS and Hannspree returns to Europe for the second consecutive year with a schedule reaching five countries across 40 tour dates, it was announced today by the National Basketball Association (NBA). Jam Van, the NBA’s largest touring grassroots program, reached over 1 million fans in 2008 and will this year tip off in London July 2, 4 and 5. Jam Van will travel over 10,00kms this summer across France (July), Germany (July), Italy (July) and the UK (July, October), culminating in Spain (September, October).
Free of charge to fans, NBA Jam Van is a state-of-the-art 16-meter 18-wheel truck that transforms into 1000m² of basketball and interactive activities. Jam Van combines two basketball areas containing three different size baskets together with a multitude of interactive elements and entertainment.
“We are always looking for ways to bring basketball closer to our fans in Europe. With the support of EA SPORTS and Hannspree, NBA Jam Van is able to deliver a unique, fun and interactive experience in five countries," said Sophie Goldschmidt, Managing Director, NBA EMEA.
NBA Jam Van will be on-hand in London for NBA Europe Live 2009 presented by EA SPORTS™ when the Chicago Bulls take on the Utah Jazz at The O2 on Oct. 6. Following London, Jam Van will make its final stop of the season at the second Europe Live game in Madrid, where the Jazz will face Real Madrid on Oct. 8.
Jon Rosenblatt, Senior Director of EA SPORTS for Europe noted, “EA SPORTS have been proud partners with the NBA since 1991 and we are excited to partner with them again this year on Jam Van and NBA Europe LIVE. It is a fantastic way for us to help the NBA to grow the sport of basketball on a grassroots level with kids and teenagers across Europe.”
“The NBA Jam Van is an exciting event for us to support. We look forward to it every year as it allows us to build excitement for our brand within the basketball community,” said Lukas Chong, Managing Director of HANNspree Europe. “Our mission is to create design centric TVs which allow people to express their personality and passions in life and have many basketball inspired products which capture the very essence of the sport.”
The Jam Van Center Court will be the hub of activity where fans can play one-on-one games and participate in a number of contests including free throw shooting and slam dunks on baskets of varying heights. Fans can further test their basketball ability at the Skills Challenge area where dribbling and shooting skills are measured.
Off-court activities at Jam Van include the chance to play the latest EA SPORTS games including NBA LIVE at the NBA Jam Van Video Arcade; fans can also take time out from playing to watch the latest NBA action at the state-of-the-art video wall or have their picture taken on the new ‘Green Screen’. Fans will also be able to measure-up to life-size replicas of their favorite NBA and WNBA players or enjoy the performances of the NBA mascots and Dance Teams.
Additional event details and up-to-date schedule can be found at http://jamvaneurope.nba.com/
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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 2008-09 season, NBA games will reach 215 countries and territories in 41 languages. The league’s worldwide reach will be reflected in the 76 international players from 32 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.
About Hanspree
HANNspree was founded in 2002 to provide the industry with a new bold approach to the design and manufacturing of consumer electronics and information technology products under the HANNSpree, Hanns-G, and I-INC brands. Applying state-of-the-art engineering techniques to visionary design concepts, HANNspree is responsible for creating an entirely new category of design-driven, lifestyle-inspired televisions, monitors and digital picture frames. The company is headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan and maintains a European headquarters in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. For more information on HANNspree log on to http://www.hannspree.com/eu/en or http://www.hannsg.com/eu/en.
About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts Inc. (EA), headquartered in Redwood City, California, is a leading global interactive entertainment software company. Founded in 1982, the Company develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software worldwide for video game systems, personal computers, wireless devices and the Internet. Electronic Arts markets its products under four brand names: EA SPORTSTM, EATM, EA MobileTM and POGOTM. In fiscal 2009, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $4.2 billion and had 31 titles that sold more than one million copies. EA's homepage and online game site is www.ea.com. More information about EA's products and full text of press releases can be found on the Internet at http://info.ea.com.
EA, EA SPORTS, EA Mobile and POGO are trademarks or registered trademarks of Electronic Arts Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
Contacts
Tom Marchesi, NBA Europe Communications, +44 20 7795 8921 or tmarchesi@nba.com
