MEMPHIS, November 25, 2013 — As the season of giving approaches, the National Basketball Association (NBA) will launch a comprehensive “NBA Give BIG” program that aims to encourage great work in the community during the holidays. The message is simple: Give. Share. Inspire.
Today, the league introduced its first-ever social media photo mosaic at NBA.com/NBAGiveBIG to celebrate and inspire charitable efforts around the world. By using the hashtag #NBAGiveBIG on Twitter and Instagram, fans can join the teams, players and all members of the NBA family by sharing photos, videos and stories from their seasonal community projects through Dec. 31.
Tony Allen has been named ‘Season of Giving Ambassador’ for the Memphis Grizzlies. In this role, he will promote the season of giving through his active social media accounts to drive holiday spirit and enlist fans to give back to their community.
"The holidays are an important time to help those less fortunate and do what you can to support your community," said Todd Jacobson, NBA Senior Vice President, Social Responsibility. "This year, we’re inviting fans to join us in sharing stories of giving back to hopefully inspire others around the world.”
The campaign will be amplified exponentially through the NBA’s global reach of more than 475 million fans and followers on social media. By including the hashtag of a favorite team’s three-letter abbreviation (i.e. #MEM) within social media posts, fans can mark the location of their goodwill efforts. The NBA will aggregate all photos on its website at NBA.com/NBAGiveBIG and allow users to sort charitable activity by team to learn how people are giving back in each city.
At retail, the league is working with all DICK’S Sporting Goods locations nationwide and Spalding® to donate basketballs to NBA Cares community partners. For every NBA Spalding basketball purchased at DICK’S Sporting Goods through Dec. 24, a basketball will be given to charities such as St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital® and the YMCA.
“Finding partners with shared values is vital when participating in a great program like ‘NBA Give BIG,’” said Chris Brennan, NBA Senior Vice President, Retail Marketing and Development. “By partnering with DICK’S Sporting Goods and Spalding, we’ll be able to deliver this integrated, cause-related retail activation to fans throughout the country”
NBA Cares is the league's global social responsibility program that builds on the NBA's mission of addressing important social issues in the United States and around the world. Through this program, the NBA, its teams and players have donated more than $225 million to charity, completed more than 2.6 million hours of hands-on community service, and created more than 830 places where kids and families can live, learn, or play, in 23 countries and territories on five continents. NBA Cares works with internationally recognized youth-serving programs that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes, including: KaBOOM!, Special Olympics, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, UNICEF, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Share Our Strength and GLAAD.
A Division of Russell Brands, LLC, Spalding is the largest basketball equipment supplier in the world, and America's first baseball company. Spalding is the official basketball of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the official backboard of the NBA and NCAA, the official baseball of the Little League World Series, the official volleyball of the King of the Beach Volleyball Tour and the official football of Pop Warner. In addition to being the leading producer and marketer of basketballs, footballs, volleyballs and soccer balls, Spalding produces softballs under the Dudley brand. The SPALDING® and DUDLEY® trademarks are owned by Russell Brands, LLC. For more information, visit spalding.com.
DICK'S Sporting Goods, Inc. is an authentic full-line sports and fitness specialty omni-channel retailer offering a broad assortment of high quality, competitively-priced brand name sporting goods equipment, apparel and footwear in a specialty store environment. The Company also owns and operates Golf Galaxy, LLC, a golf specialty retailer. As of October 25, 2013, the Company operated more than 540 DICK'S Sporting Goods stores in 45 states, 81 Golf Galaxy stores in 30 states and eCommerce websites and catalog operations for DICK'S Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy.
Fans who want to support the Memphis Grizzlies and purchase 2013-14 Season Tickets or 5-Game Packs can do so by calling (901) 888-HOOP or going online to grizzlies.com. Season Tickets start at $11 per game. For more information on the Grizzlies, please visit grizzlies.com, ‘like’ Memphis Grizzlies on Facebook or follow on Twitter (@memgrizz).
Single Game Tickets for all home games through the 12th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day Celebration Game on Monday, Jan. 20 are on sale now at all Ticketmaster outlets, the FedExForum Box Office, by phone at 1-800-4NBA-TIX or online at grizzlies.com.