NEW YORK-Dec. 4, 2006-The NBA Store will host the first ever NBA Store Holiday Toy Drive as part of NBA Cares, the league's social responsibility and community outreach program. The NBA Store, located at Fifth Avenue and 52nd Street, will accept gifts starting tomorrow through Dec. 21, and deliver them to New York Cares, a NYC based non-profit organization that serves New York’s neediest citizens.

New York Cares will distribute the gifts to children at homeless shelters, community centers and hospitals as part of their Winter Wishes program. Each winter, the program helps fulfill the holiday wishes of more than 23,000 disadvantaged New Yorkers through the Winter Wishes for Kids and Families Program.

Siohvaughn Wade, wife of NBA Finals MVP Dwyane Wade, will also participate in the NBA Store Toy Drive and donate some of the gifts to the Miami HEAT Charitable Fund, which benefits the children of the South Florida SafeSpace Domestic Violence Prevention program.

Fans dropping off gifts at the NBA Store will have a chance to meet Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards, Siohvaughn Wade and Richard Jefferson of the New Jersey Nets, who will be appearing at the Store throughout the week of Dec. 4 to help shoppers celebrate the holidays and the NBA Cares Season of Giving.

The schedule of NBA Store appearances is as follows:

Dec. 5	Siohvaghn Wade	2-5 p.m.
	Gilbert Arenas	6:30-8 p.m.
Dec. 6	Richard Jefferson	4-6 p.m.

Toys that are donated should be for children ages 4-12 and should be unwrapped. Anyone who drops off a gift on Center Court at the NBA Store, will receive a 20% off discount coupon towards a future visit at the NBA Store.

About the NBA

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 82 international players on NBA rosters. Domestically, the NBA broadcasted 142 games on national television this past season on ABC, TNT, ESPN and ESPN2, and eclipsed attendance records for the third consecutive season.

As fans witness tremendous performances on the court, some of the NBA's most significant efforts occur off the court. Last season, , 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 250 places where kids and families can live, learn or play. . For more information on the NBA, visit NBA.com.