PARIS – July 19 2007 – The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) today announced the top participating athletes from across the continent selected for Basketball without Borders Europe, a basketball instructional camp for young people that promotes friendship, healthy living and education. Led by NBA Finals MVP Tony Parker from the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns forward Boris Diaw, the camp features current and former NBA players and team personnel as camp coaches, and uniquely incorporates community outreach activities and educational seminars.

The young players (ages 18 & under) from 26 countries across Europe were selected by FIBA and the NBA, in conjunction with participating basketball federations, based on their basketball skills, leadership abilities and dedication to the sport. Held for the first time in France Basketball without Borders Europe is this year scheduled to take place at the Stade Pierre de Coubertin in Paris, 6 - 10 August. Co-organized by the NBA and FIBA the camp features Nike, EA SPORTS, HANNspree, Powerade, and Spalding as Marketing Partners for the event. A Basketball without Borders marketing partner since 2002, Nike will again outfit all the camp participants and coaches with Nike footwear and apparel. EA SPORTS will execute a competitive gaming event involving NBA players and BWB campers during one evening session. HANNspree, manufacturer of emotional TV sets, will be the event image provider thanks to their extraordinary screens. Partnering with NBA Cares and the town of Sarcelles, Powerade will be refurbishing two basketball courts in Sarcelles, a suburb of Paris. A special event program will be produced and broadcast by Sport+.

The inaugural Basketball without Borders took place in Europe in July 2001. Since then, Basketball without Borders has expanded its reach to nine countries and territories on five continents and featured more than 160 NBA players, coaches and team personnel from 30 different teams as camp coaches for nearly 1000 young athletes from 100 different countries and territories. In addition, the program has reached countless others through its community relations outreach efforts in each region. The NBA family and the campers have traveled more than 100 million miles and logged more than one million hours of community service participating in Basketball without Borders.

Four former Basketball without Borders campers are now part of NBA teams. The first BWB participant ever to be drafted was Lithuanian Martynas Andriuskevicius, who was chosen in the second round of the 2005 Draft by Cleveland. This year's No. 18 draft pick by the Golden State Warriors, Marco Belinelli, was a participant of BWB Europe in 2004. The Toronto Raptors Andrea Bargnani who was the first European to be drafted as the number 1 pick also attended the camp in 2003 along with Andriuskevicius. Senegal native Mouhamed Sene, the Seattle SuperSonics 10th overall pick from the 2006 NBA Draft, participated in the 2004 Africa camp.

This year's camp will mark a return home for five French NBA players, reinforcing their commitment to their communities. Joining Parker and Diaw will be fellow countrymen Los Angeles Lakers forward Ronny Turiaf, Denver Nuggets guard Yakhouba Diawara and Golden State Warriors forward Mickael Pietrus. Other NBA players taking part include Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng (England) and guard Chris Duhon, Philadelphia 76ers center Samuel Dalembert (Haiti) and Orlando Magic forward Bo Outlaw.

Other NBA participants include Jim Eyen, Rory White and Neal Meyer of the Los Angeles Clippers, Brian Hill of the Orlando Magic, Don Newman of the San Antonio Spurs and NBA coach Terry Stotts. Marin Sedlacek (Serbia), who is a FIBA Expert for Europe, Asia and Africa with more than 25 years of coaching experience, will oversee as camp director for the seventh time.

To promote friendship and diversity, the campers will be divided into teams without regard to race and nationality. They will share living quarters with their new teammates and participate in daily motivational and life-skills seminars that promote education, leadership, character development, healthy living and HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention. The HIV/AIDS interactive educational seminar will be led by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the world’s leading non-governmental organization dedicated to children. In addition, the camp will be highlighted by extensive community outreach activities focusing on grassroots basketball development.

In addition to Europe, Basketball without Borders Asia returned to Shanghai, China July 5-8. Basketball without Borders Americas will take place July 31-Aug. 3 in São Paulo, Brazil and Basketball without Borders Africa will return to Johannesburg, South Africa Sept. 5-9.

The NBA, founded in 1946, is a global sports and entertainment brand that features 30 teams in the United States and Canada. During the 2005-06 season, the NBA distributed 44,000 hours of programming to 215 countries and territories in 43 languages. The league’s worldwide reach can also be seen with 85 international players on NBA rosters. As fans witness tremendous performances on the court, some of the NBA's most significant efforts occur off the court. This past year, the league launched its most ambitious community outreach endeavor, NBA Cares. Over a five-year span, players and teams will raise and contribute $100 million for charity, donate more than one million hours of volunteer service to communities worldwide, and build more than 100 educational and athletic facilities where children can learn and play. For more information on the NBA, visit NBA.com.

The following is a complete list of players participating in Basketball without Borders Europe 2007: