Charlotte Bobcats Well-Represented At NBA All-Star Weekend

The Charlotte Bobcats will participate at the 2004 NBA All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles this upcoming weekend on a variety of on and off-court activities. Team owner Robert L. Johnson will participate as a panelist at the annual NBA All-Star Technology Summit, Donnie Langford of the Charlotte Rollin’ Bobcats plays in the wheelchair All-Star Game, Rufus Lynx – the Bobcats mascot – performs during the Celebrity All-Star Game and Jr. NBA All-Star James Davidson from Seneca, South Carolina competes in the national youth basketball All-Star Game.

“NBA All-Star Weekend is one of the premier events on the sports calendar and we are excited to be a part of this year’s festivities in Los Angeles,” Bobcats Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Ed Tapscott said. “It’s the first chance for NBA fans around the country to get to know the Bobcats and we look forward to the future when our players will have the opportunity to participate as well.”

Johnson will participate in the league’s Technology Summit on Friday, February 13, speaking on a panel titled “Remote Control: How Will Fans Watch Sports?” Along with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, New York Knicks owner and Cablevision CEO James Dolan, NFL Network CEO Steve Bornstein, Fox Television CEO David Hill and Turner Entertainment President Mark Lazarus, Johnson will discuss how technology will define the sports viewing experience and weigh the long term impact that these developments and new local and national networks will have on the way fans watch sports. Others involved in the Tech Summit include: Charles Barkley (TNT), Jerry Colangelo (Phoenix Suns owner), Sean “P. Diddy” Combs, Paul Fireman (CEO, Reebok), Richard Jefferson (New Jersey Nets), Larry King (CNN), Jon Miller (CEO, AOL), William C. Rhoden (New York Times) and Stuart Scott (ESPN).

Langford joined the Charlotte Rollin’ Bobcats at the team’s inception in October 2003 and is a 23-year veteran of wheelchair basketball. He will play for the East team in the 2004 NBA/ National Wheelchair Basketball Association All-Star Wheelchair Classic (NWBA), on Thursday, February 12 at 7:30 p.m. at NBA All-Star Jam Session.

A point guard, Langford was a including into the Carolina’s Wheelchair Basketball Conference Hall of Fame in 2003 and represented the United States as a member of an all-star team that faced a squad from Madrid, Spain in London, England. He once scored a career-best 67 points in a game and hit 13 three-pointers in that contest. The 1996 Final Four MVP, Langford also serves as head coach of the Young Charlotte Rollin’ Bobcats team.

Rufus Lynx, the team’s mascot whose nickname was taken from the scientific name for bobcat, will make his first All-Star appearance and participate throughout the weekend at NBA Jam Session at the Los Angeles Convention Center, including the mascot slam dunk competition on Saturday, February 14. His first-ever game action will come at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday, February 13, at 7 p.m. EST at STAPLES Center, a game that will be televised live on ESPN. Rufus Lynx will also participate in the NBA All-Star Read to Achieve Reading Rally at Club NBA earlier on Friday.

The team mascot was unveiled on November 1 during FrenzyFest at the Charlotte Coliseum and the name Rufus Lynx was announced on December 13 at SouthPark Mall.

James (CJ) Arnez Davidson II, an 11-year-old guard/forward from Seneca, will represent the Bobcats and is among a group of five boys and five girls who will be honored guests as members of the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA National Team. Davidson’s National Team will face a team of Los Angeles Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA All-Stars on Sunday, February 15, at 12 noon (EST) on Center Court of NBA Jam Session at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Bill Walton, ABC/ESPN analyst and Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA Advisory Council member, will serve as head coach. The group will also enjoy a tour of Universal Studios, getting introduced to a sold-out crowd at All-Star Saturday Night and attending Sunday’s 53rd NBA All-Star Game.

Davidson plays in the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA League at the Seneca Recreation League and was honored based upon his performance on and off the court. A fifth grade student at Ravenel Elementary School, Davidson, a well-rounded athlete and honor student, is averaging 20.5 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game.

Every Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA member league director had the opportunity to nominate one boy and one girl, ages 11-12, in their program, as a Jr. NBA /Jr. WNBA League All-Star. From a pool of 650 nominations, 30 finalists for the National Team were identified by an independent national selection committee and 10 players were then selected for the Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA National Team.

The Charlotte Bobcats, who select fourth in the 2004 NBA Draft following an expansion draft of players from other NBA teams, will play their inaugural season in 2004-05 at the Charlotte Coliseum before moving to Charlotte’s new Uptown Arena beginning with the 2005-06 NBA season. Visit the Bobcats online at www.bobcatsbasketball.com.