American Airlines News

American Airlines and NBA Partner on International League Events

FORT WORTH, Texas, July 2 PRNewswire-FirstCall — American Airlines and The National Basketball Association (NBA) have reached a marketing partnership that includes several of the league's most prominent international grassroots initiatives featuring activities in nine countries.

American Airlines will serve as the official airline of 2008 NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS(TM), the NBA's European tour, which will return for its third consecutive year in October. American Airlines will also serve as a partner of the NBA's first-ever event in India, Basketball without Borders 2008 — the league's international basketball development and community outreach program — which will be held in New Delhi July 3-6.

American Airlines will also support several other NBA international grassroots events, including NBA 3 x 3 and NBA Madness in Japan, NBA 3 x 3 in Mexico, and additional NBA events in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Russia and the UK. American will have a prominent presence at each grassroots event and will be incorporated into various on-site activities and promotions.

The partnership is an expansion of American Airlines previous support of NBA international events, which included Basketball without Borders in Shanghai, China, in 2006, a preseason game between the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in October 2006, and NBA Europe Live 2007 in London, which featured a preseason game between the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves.

"Our relationship with American Airlines illustrates the collaborative nature of our efforts to grow the game internationally and allows us to bring our fans an authentic NBA experience through a wide range of events and community programs," said Emilio Collins, Vice President - International Development for the NBA.

"We are thrilled to announce our international partnership with the NBA and honored to be an integral part of their charitable programs worldwide, especially in India, which we have served since 2005," said Billy Sanez, Director - Advertising, Promotions and Corporate Communications for American Airlines. "American's extensive global reach makes this a particularly exciting partnership. We applaud the NBA and are pleased to help bring Basketball without Borders to the world."

As part of 2008 NBA Europe Live presented by EA SPORTS, the Miami Heat, New Jersey Nets, New Orleans Hornets and Washington Wizards will play preseason games in Barcelona, Berlin, London and Paris in October. Following NBA Europe Live 2008, NBA teams will have played 48 games in 18 cities in Europe over the past two decades. Last year's seven NBA Europe Live games drew more than 10.3 million viewers, 75,000 spectators, and were supported by 23 marketing partners.

Basketball without Borders 2008 will take place in New Delhi, India; Istanbul, Turkey; and Johannesburg, South Africa, this summer. The NBA and International Basketball Federation's (FIBA) global basketball development and community outreach program unites elite young basketball players to promote the sport and encourage positive social change in the areas of education, health and wellness in local communities. To date, Basketball without Borders has featured more than 250 current and former NBA players, coaches and team personnel from 30 different teams who served as camp coaches and mentors for more than 1,200 young athletes from more than 100 countries and territories on five continents.

NBA Madness, the NBA's interactive basketball lifestyle event consisting of basketball activities, musical performances and special appearances by NBA players, dance teams and mascots, will visit Tokyo, Japan, August 29-31. NBA 3 x 3 is focused on developing future generations of NBA fans by growing the game of basketball internationally. It consists of regional basketball tournaments where winning teams from each respective region will advance to a championship game. The event visited Mexico City on May 24 and 25, and will visit six Japanese cities including Tokyo, Osaka, Nagoya, Fukuoka, Sendai, and Takamatsu in July and August.

About American Airlines

American Airlines is the world's largest airline. American, American Eagle and the AmericanConnection (R) airlines serve 250 cities in over 40 countries with more than 4,000 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 1,000 aircraft. American's award-winning Web site, AA.com, provides users with easy access to check and book fares, plus personalized news, information and travel offers. American Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld (R) Alliance, which brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business, enabling them to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. Together, its members serve nearly 700 destinations in over 140 countries and territories. American Airlines, Inc. and American Eagle Airlines, Inc. are subsidiaries of AMR Corporation. AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, the AmericanConnection (R) airlines, AA.com, We know why you fly and AAdvantage are registered trademarks of American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR)

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SOURCE American Airlines

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