NBA LEGEND CLYDE DREXLER HEADLINES NBA MADNESS PHILIPPINES

Orlando Magic and Portland Trail Blazers dance teams to visit schools

as part of first-ever NBA Madness Team Spirit School Tour 

NationalBasketball Association (NBA) Legend Clyde Drexler and the Orlando Magic and Portland Trail Blazers dance teams will take part in NBA Madness Philippines 2011, the NBA’s interactive basketball fan event. Jointly organized by the NBA and Solar Entertainment, NBA Madness Philippines 2011 will visit metro Manila from Sept. 28 to Oct. 2.

NBA Madness is a free fan event featuring basketball clinics and games, including the Clyde Drexler Challenge, in which fans can compete against the NBA legend for prizes.  Drexler will give fans a unique insider perspective as he provides live commentary at viewing parties showing some of the NBA’s greatest games.  The event will also feature dance team performances, Asia Miles dance clinics, autograph sessions, and a video game corner featuring the newest NBA video game, NBA 2K12.  Fans can take part in the excitement of NBA Madness Philippines 2011 on Oct. 1 at the SM Southmall and Oct. 2 at the SM Mall of Asia Music Hall.

Official partners for NBA Madness Philippines 2011 include Asia Miles and Gatorade with media partners Basketball TV, Solar Sports, Studio 23 and NBA Premium TV also supporting the event. Venue partners are SM Mall of Asia, SM Southmall, SM City North Edsa, and SM Cinemas.

Drexler is a 10-time NBA All-Star and was voted in to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.  He won an NBA championship with the Houston Rockets in 1995 and was named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History in 1996.  Drexler was also a member of the storied ‘Dream Team’ that won an Olympic gold medal in 1992.

In addition to the mall events, the first-ever NBA Madness Team Spirit School Tour will bring two NBA dance teams to five schools in Manila to conduct free dance clinics for campus dance teams.  The dance teams will make school stops from Sept. 28 to Sept. 30 and will participate in the Search for the Team Spirit School Champion at the Team Spirit Festival at NBA Madness.

As part of NBA Cares, the NBA and the SM Foundation will also partner to conduct a Read To Achieve read and play session for 100 underprivileged kids from all over Metro Manila on Thursday, Sept. 29, at the Skydome at SM City North EDSA.

The NBA legend and dancers will also make a stop at the Finals of the Coors Light NBA Pop-A-Shot Tour 2011, which takes place on Sept. 29 at the Metrowalk in Pasig City.

About the NBA

The NBA, founded in 1946, is a professional sports league and global business that features 30 teams in the United States and Canada.  During the 2010-11 season, NBA games will reach 215 countries and territories in more than 40 languages.  Official NBA rosters currently feature 83 players from 40 countries and territories.  NBA merchandise is sold in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on six continents.  NBA.com averages more than 26 million page views per day, with more than 50 percent of the site’s visitors coming from outside of North America.  The NBA is the No. 1 U.S. sports league on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, with the most fans, followers, and videos viewed on each, respectively.

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Media contacts for the said event are Sheila Rasu of NBA Asia (Tel.: 852-2843 9628, Email: srasu@nba.com) and Tessa Jazmines (Tel.: 63-9175261369, Email: tessa@larcandasset.com) and Kalvin Sangalang (Tel.: 63-9228399548, Email: kalvin@larcandasset.com) of Larc and Asset.

LOCKOUT TO END ON SEPTEMBER 28?

This is absolutely a welcome news to all who loves the NBA. Both negotiating parties, the team owners and the players association, are rushing things up to come up with a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) within the next three weeks. Target date is reportedly on September 28. And if everything goes well as planned, NBA training camps will open on time come the first week of October. NBA commissioner David Stern confirmed that they are trying to work things out on or before the said date. “Yes. We have three weeks”, Stern quipped. On the other hand, NBPA executive director Billy Hunter thinks there is still a lot of time left to save the 2011-12 season, “I think there is. I think there clearly is. There’s more than enough time”, according to CBS Sports.

“With that, Stern dropped the first publicly acknowledged deadline for a deal to be reached without canceling at least a portion of training camps or preseason. Three weeks from Wednesday is Sept. 28, and training camps league-wide are scheduled to begin the first week of October.”

ALL IS SET FOR LOCKOUT LEAGUE

Chauncey Billups

While the players union and team owners continue to meet with the purpose of charting a new CBA as others try their luck overseas, a number of NBA players are trying to put up a league where they can shape up and recondition their bodies while awaiting the lockout to end. It is the closest thing to training camp. Some 40 players, mostly from the New York Knicks, Los Angeles Clippers and Houston Rockets, are all set to see action in an NBA- caliber league. The designated league commissioner is veteran NBA trainer Joe Abunassar. The proposed venue of the competition will be in Las Vegas, the site of the annual NBA summer league. The league wil start on September 12 and ends up on September 23 with the championship game, according to The New York Times.

“As many as eight teams, featuring seven or eight players each, will play daily starting Sept. 12. The series will end with two days of playoffs, with a championship game Sept. 23. Games will be officiated and played under N.B.A. rules, albeit with 10-minute quarters and without coaches barking from the benches. The plan is to sell tickets (about 500 a day, with proceeds donated to charity) and to stream the games live on the Internet.”

NEVER ENDING EXODUS

Sonny Weems

Even though there are recent developments that could probably unlock the on-going NBA lockout, American pro players continue their odyssey to play hoops overseas. As of the last count, 46 have already signed contracts to ply their trade on foreign land. The list includes nine players with no-opt out clause in their deals which makes them ineligible to return to the NBA once the lockout ends before the 2011-12 season. These are Rasual Butler (CB Gran Canaria, Spain), Wilson Chandler (Zhejiang Guangsha, China), Earl Clark (Zhejiang, China), Acie Law (Partizan, Serbia), Nenad Krstic (CSKA Moscow, Russia), Chris Quinn (Khimki Moscow, Russia), Darius Songaila (Galatasaray, Turkey) Garrett Temple (Casale, Italy), and Sonny Weems (Zalgiris Kaunas, Lithuania). Herewith is the complete updated list of players who have signed contract with foreign clubs, according to Mark Nugent of Hoopsworld.

“Jeff Adrien: Benetton Treviso, Italy (Golden State Warriors, Unrestricted Free Agent)

Lavoy Allen: Strasbourg IG, France (Philadelphia 76ers, Rookie)

David Andersen: Montepaschi Siena, Italy (New Orleans Hornets)

Hilton Armstrong: ASVEL Villerbanne, France (Atlanta Hawks, Unrestricted Free Agent)

Leandro Barbosa: Flamengo, Brazil (Toronto Raptors)

Nicolas Batum: Nancy, France (Portland Trail Blazers)

Keith Benson: Team Sassari, Italy (Atlanta Hawks, Rookie)

DeJuan Blair: Krasne Krylya Samara, Russia (San Antonio Spurs)

Trevor Booker: Bnei Hasharon, Israel (Washington Wizards)

Craig Brackins: Maccabi Ashdod, Israel (Philadelphia 76ers)

Rasual Butler: CB Gran Canaria, Spain (Chicago Bulls, Unrestricted Free Agent), No opt-out clause

Wilson Chandler: Zhejiang Guangsha, China (Denver Nuggets, Unrestricted Free Agent), No opt-out clause

Earl Clark: Zhejiang, China (Orlando Magic, Unrestricted Free Agent), No opt-out clause

Jon Diebler: Panionios, Greece (Portland Trail Blazers)

Jordan Farmar: Maccabi Tel Aviv, Israel (New Jersey Nets)

Alonzo Gee: Prokom Trefl Sopot, Poland (Cleveland Cavaliers)

Danny Green: KK Union Olimpija, Slovenia (San Antonio Spurs)

Justin Harper: Strasbourg, France (Orlando Magic, Rookie)

Ersan Ilyasova: Anadolu Efes, Turkey (Milwaukee Bucks)

Pooh Jeter: Joventut Badalona, Spain (Sacramento Kings)

Trey Johnson: Teramo, Italy (Los Angeles Lakers, Restricted Free Agent)

Nenad Krstic: CSKA Moscow, Russia (Boston Celtics, Unrestricted Free Agent), Signed two-year deal with no opt-out clause

Acie Law: Partizan, Serbia (Golden State Warriors, Unrestricted Free Agent), No opt-out clause

Ty Lawson: Zalgiris Kaunas, Lithuania (Denver Nuggets)

Jon Leuer: Skyliners Frankfurt, Germany (Milwaukee Bucks, Rookie)

Patty Mills: Melbourne Tigers, Australia (Portland Trail Blazers, Restricted Free Agent)

E’Twaun Moore: Benetton Treviso, Italy (Boston Celtics, Rookie)

Timofey Mozgov: Khimki Moscow, Russia (Denver Nuggets)

Chandler Parsons: Cholet, France (Houston Rockets, Rookie)

Nikloa Pekovic: Paritzan Belgrade, Serbia (Minnesota Timberwolves)

Chris Quinn: Khimki Moscow, Russia (San Antonio Spurs, Unrestricted Free Agent), No opt-out clause

Magnum Rolle: LG Sakers, South Korea (Atlanta Hawks)

Mustafa Shakur: Pau-Orthez, France (Washington Wizards, Unrestricted Free Agent)

Kyle Singler: Lucentum Alicante, Spain (Detroit Pistons, Rookie)

Darius Songaila: Galatasaray, Turkey (Philadelphia 76ers Unrestricted Free Agent), No opt-out clause

DaJuan Summers: Montepaschi Siena, Italy (Detroit Pistons, Restricted Free Agent), Signed two-year deal, opt-out after first year

Pape Sy: Gravelines-Dunkerque, France (Atlanta Hawks)

Garrett Temple: Casale, Italy (Charlotte Bobcats, Restricted Free Agent), No opt-out clause

Nikola Vucevic: KK Buducnost Pdogorica, Montenegro (Philadelphia 76ers, Rookie)

Sasha Vujacic: Anadolu Efes, Turkey (New Jersey Nets, Unrestricted Free Agent)

Von Wafer: Venoli Cremona, Italy (Boston Celtics, Unrestricted Free Agent)

Sonny Weems: Zalgiris Kaunas, Lithuania (Toronto Raptors, Restricted Free Agent), No opt-out clause

Mario West: Tezenis Verona, Italy (New Jersey Nets, Unrestricted Free Agent)

Deron Williams: Besiktas, Turkey (New Jersey Nets)

Reggie Williams: Caja Laboral Vitoria, Spain (Golden State Warriors, Restricted Free Agent)

Sean Williams: Maccabi Haifa, Israel (Unrestricted Free Agent).”

Video: DWIGHT HOWARD DUNKS ON A GIRAFFE

<a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/video?vid=82260542-9ceb-41e2-91a8-38314850355e" target="_new" title="">Dwight Howard dunks on a giraffe</a>

MARIKINA GENT SETS NBA POP-A-SHOT SCORING RECORD

Just like Ricardo Reyes, the Filipino busboy-You Tube sensation from Los Angeles who beat NBA superstars in the arcade game of Pop-A-Shot, Raul De Leon of Marikina City has turned out to be the man to beat in the ongoing Coors Light NBA Pop-A-Shot Tournament 2011 in Manila over the weekend.

De Leon, 49, who works at a pest control agency, set a local Pop-A-Shot record high of 563 at the second leg of the 2011 Coors NBA Pop-A-Shot competition at Blue Onion Bar in Eastwood, Libis, Quezon City last weekend. The score is the highest in this year’s tournament so far, and even higher than last year’s Coors Light NBA Pop-A-Shot championship score of 457. De Leon played twice, scoring 491 on the first try, then made the record-setting score on his second attempt. He has been playing pop-a-shot for 13 years.

“I usually shoot with two hands, but this time I only used my right hand to shoot, using the stock-up method. Just shoot and shoot and keep your focus. The basket isn’t moving anyway, and there is a lesser chance to miss a basket. I just love this game,” he said. Four other Pop-A-Shot artists got into the Blue Onion Magic 5 and will join De Leon in the Coors Light NBA Pop A Shot Finals. They are : Edmund Bolino, 227; Gioncarlo Chua, 217; Donn Torres, 199 and Arthur Campos, 149.

The next Coors Light NBA Pop-A-Shot leg will be held at SM MOA Baywalk from September 1-3. The fourth leg will be held at Greens and Grills at Festival Mall in Alabang from September 8-10. A final leg will be held at the end of September with the final venue to be announced. As an added incentive for loyal fans, the top five who participate at every venue from this week's SM MOA Baywalk onwards till the finals will stand a chance to win a Coors Light-NBA Loyalty Prize Pack. The first five loyal fans who turn up at the finals will win the Coors Light-NBA Loyalty Prize Pack.

To join the NBA’s favorite arcade game, all that bar habitués have to do is purchase two bottles of Coors Light Beer to be able to play two 30-second games for the night, from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. The top five scorers of each venue will advance to the Coors Light NBA Pop-A-Shot Final Challenge at the end of September, with the winner getting a unique NBA experience.

NBA talent will attend the Finals to add more excitement to the challenge of beating the clock while shooting as many basketballs as possible into an authentic NBA Pop-A-Shot machine.