USA Basketball Men’s And Women's National Teams To Play Exhibition Games In Manchester In 2012

Feb. 28, 2011 • Colorado Springs, Colo.

USA Basketball, in conjunction the Manchester City Council and the National Basketball Association (NBA), today announced a multiyear partnership that will give basketball fans in the city of Manchester the opportunity to attend live USA Basketball men’s and women’s national teams games, as well as NBA and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) games. All of the games will be played at the 18,100-seat Manchester Evening News Arena (MEN).

As part of the announced partnership, the USA Basketball men’s and women’s national teams - both of which won gold medals at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and 2008 Beijing Olympics - will each play a Global Community Cup tour game in July 2012 at the MEN in preparation for the London 2012 Olympics against opponents to be announced.

"USA Basketball is pleased to bring both our men’s and women’s national teams in 2012 to the city of Manchester. With its rich tradition in sports and hosting premiere athletic events, Manchester will be an outstanding setting and these games are sure to add to the city’s athletic legacy,” said USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo.

“WNBA Live - Manchester 2011” will be held May 29, 2011 and feature the Atlanta Dream – who played in the 2010 WNBA Finals. This will mark the first time a WNBA team has played in Europe, and the second international game in the league’s 15 year history (2004, Monterrey, Mexico). The Dream’s opponent will be announced at a later date.

The first-ever NBA preseason game to be played in the UK outside of London will take place in the fall of 2013. The participating teams will be announced at a later date. The NBA has played preseason games in London for four consecutive seasons at The O2 as part of NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS. Each game in London sold out, including the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves in October 2010, which sold out in a record time. The league will stage NBA Games – London 2011 presented by Thomson Sport featuring the New Jersey Nets and Toronto Raptors playing the league’s first regular-season games in Europe at The O2 on March 4 and 5.

“We are delighted to bring NBA, WNBA, and USA Basketball games to the internationally renowned sports city of Manchester. This comprehensive schedule of premier basketball events will help grow the sport for years to come,” said NBA Europe Senior Vice President Sophie Goldschmidt. “This partnership shows our ongoing commitment to deepen basketball’s footprint in the country.”

“Manchester has a rich sporting heritage, so it is fitting to be welcoming the NBA to the City for this ground breaking series of events,” said Councillor Michael Amesbury, Executive Member for Culture and Sport. “The matches will fit into our varied and innovative sports events calendar and we are sure that they will not only bring thousands of visitors to the City and create huge media interest, but will also inspire Mancunians to participate, officiate, spectate and volunteer in their chosen sports.”

About USA Basketball

Based in Colorado Springs, Colo., USA Basketball is a nonprofit organization and the national governing body for men's and women's basketball in the United States. As the recognized governing body for basketball in the United States by the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), USA Basketball is responsible for the selection, training and fielding of USA teams that compete in FIBA sponsored international basketball competitions, as well as for some national competitions.

Since 2008, USA Basketball men’s and women’s teams have compiled a sterling 96-2 win-loss record in FIBA or FIBA Americas competitions. USA teams are the current men’s and women’s champions in the Olympics, FIBA World Championships; U19 and U17 FIBA World Championships; and U18 and U16 FIBA Americas championships. USA Basketball currently ranks No. 1 in all five of FIBA's world ranking categories, including combined, men's, women's, boys and girls.

For further information about USA Basketball, go to the official Web site of USA Basketball at www.usabasketball.com and connect with us on facebook.com/usabasketball, twitter.com/usabasketball and www.youtube.com/therealusabasketball.

About the Manchester City Council

As partner to the NBA and host of this series of games, Manchester continues to strengthen its impressive reputation for successfully staging major international sports events that bring long-term social and economic benefits to the City and its residents. Manchester’s excellent range of accessible sports venues and facilities, combined with its school and community sports development programmes provide the springboard for sporting stars of the future and events such as these play a key role in the creation of sporting opportunities across the city. Manchester will continue to host major events that deliver real benefits to local people whilst also showcasing the city both as a vibrant place of national and international significance and as a global sporting hub. For more information on Manchester’s sports events programme visit www.manchesterworldsport.com

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 86 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. Through NBA Cares, the league, its teams and players have donated more than $150 million to charity, completed more than 1.5 million hours of hands-on community service, and created more than 560 places where kids and families can live, learn, or play.

About the WNBA

The WNBA is a unique global sports property combining competition, sportsmanship, and entertainment value with its status as an icon for social change, achievement, and diversity. The WNBA – which features 12 teams and is the most successful women’s professional team sports league in the world – finished its 14th season with a fourth consecutive year of attendance growth, surging WNBA Finals ratings, and strong increases in traffic to WNBA.com and WNBA Mobile sites.

Through WNBA Cares, the WNBA is deeply committed to creating programs that improve the quality of life for all people, with a special emphasis on programs that promote a healthy lifestyle and positive body image, increase breast and women’s health awareness, support youth and family development, and focus on education. For more information on the WNBA, log on to www.wnba.com.