Nike Announces Partnership With Euroleague Basketball

Hilversum, Netherlands (ots/PRNewswire) -

- World's Number One Basketball Brand Joins Forces with Europe's
Premier Basketball League

Nike and Euroleague Basketball have announced a new five-year
partnership to make Nike the official basketball supplier for
Euroleague competition. The union of the world's number one
basketball brand with two of the best Pan-European basketball
competitions is the latest demonstration of both organizations'
commitment to growing the game in Europe.

HILVERSUM, Netherlands, June 28 /PRNewswire/ --

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070628/AQTH003 )

HILVERSUM, Netherlands, June 28 /PRNewswire/ --

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990818/NIKELOGO )

The league's 24 teams and ULEB Cup's 54 teams will be playing with
the Nike 4005 Tournament Ball for the 2008 season, as well as a
series of pre-season events, including the Euroleague China Tour in
October. The 4005 Tournament ball will tip-off in its first official
Euroleague play at the ULEB Summer League this weekend in Jesolo,
Italy.

The 4005 Tournament basketball's 4-panel design utilizes less
converging lines so the shooter can place his or her hands in the
optimal shooting position quickly. The panel material is composite
(or synthetic) leather with a microfiber backer that keeps sweat from
collecting on the surface of the ball for a sure handle and soft
touch.

"The partnership with Euroleague Basketball will further
strengthen our connection to the global game of basketball," said Jim
Savino, General Manager of Basketball for Nike Europe, Middle East
and Africa. "We look forward to bringing together our 35 years of
basketball heritage and design expertise with Euroleague's talented
players and passionate fans."

"We are excited to announce this new pan-European partnership,
bringing the best of European basketball to the top of professional
enterprise. Thanks to the application and hard work from many teams
and leagues, we are today able to broker such a deal," said Jordi
Bertomeu CEO of Euroleague Basketball. "We know that Nike can bring a
lot of positive results in professional basketball and we are happy
to be a part of that growth".

About Nike Inc.

Nike, Inc. based near Beaverton, Oregon is the world's leading
designer, marketer and distributor of authentic athletic footwear,
apparel, equipment and accessories for a wide variety of sports and
fitness activities. Wholly owned Nike subsidiaries include Converse
Inc., which designs, markets and distributes athletic footwear,
apparel and accessories; Bauer NIKE Hockey Inc., a leading designer
and distributor of hockey equipment; Cole Haan, which designs,
markets, and distributes fine dress and casual shoes and accessories;
Hurley International LLC, which designs, markets and distributes
action sports and youth lifestyle footwear, apparel and accessories
and Exeter Brands Group LLC, which designs and markets athletic
footwear and apparel for the value retail channel.

About Euroleague Basketball

Euroleague Basketball S.L. was founded in 2000 under a private
organizational model considered to be a breakthrough for European
professional team sports. The competition features 24 clubs from 12
or more countries per season and crowns its champion each spring at
the Euroleague Final Four, now a signature event on the world sports
stage. The 2007 Euroleague Final Four generated record crowds at the
OAKA arena in Athens, Greece. Euroleague Basketball has experienced
spectacular growth in six seasons thanks to annual attendance and
television coverage records. Compared to the inaugural 2000-01
season, attendance has increased 250%. Euroleague Basketball's
television presence expanded to 163 countries on five continents,
including for the first time retransmission of the Final Four in
China. Euroleague Basketball is the reference in European basketball.

Web site: http://www.nikebiz.com

ots Originaltext: Nike, Inc.
Im Internet recherchierbar: http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:
Nate Tobecksen of Nike, Inc., +31-356-26-9612,
nate.tobecksen@nike.com; or Kirsten Haack of Euroleague Basketball
S.L., +34-93-327-8427, kirsten.haack@euroleague.net; Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070628/AQTH003 ,
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990818/NIKELOGO , AP Archive:
http://photoarchive.ap.org , PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com


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