NBA All-Star 2004 Adds Latin Flavor.

While players like Argentine guard Manu Ginóbili of the San Antonio Spurs provide a Latin flavor on the court, the NBA will highlight its Hispanic outreach initiatives off the court during NBA All-Star 2004, with a week-long slate of events throughout greater Los Angeles that will recognize the league’s Hispanic players, fans and business partners.

“The cultural diversity of Los Angeles makes it a perfect city to showcase the NBA’s efforts within the US Hispanic community,” said Arturo Nuñez, NBA Vice President and Managing Director for Latin America and the US Hispanic market. “From our six-day Esquina Latina interactive area at NBA Jam Session, to our national newspaper insert and live telecasts by our broadcasts partners, the league is presenting a wide array of initiatives that will reach out to millions of Hispanics across the United States.”

The NBA’s Hispanic All-Star 2004 initiatives include:

“Esquina Latina” and “Latin Night” Celebration

Esquina Latina at NBA Jam Session – the league’s 350,000-square-foot interactive basketball theme park, runs Feb. 11-16 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. The Esquina Latina, or “Latin Corner” – which started as a two-hour Latin-themed event during NBA All-Star 2002 in Philadelphia – has expanded to six full days of activities. The area will feature an interactive One-on-One basketball challenge game, Latin music and live radio transmissions by several Spanish local radio stations. In addition, Esquina Latina will be home to Telemundo’s broadcast center, which will be generating TV shows from the area during the entire week. Special events will include player clinics and mascot and dance appearances. A complete schedule of events at the Esquina Latina will be available at NBA.com/espanol.

Salsa superstar Oscar de Leon headlines a performance for 500 guests at an invitation only VIP “fiesta” at the famed Conga Room on Saturday, February 14. The “Latin Night” party will welcome several of the league’s Latin and Spanish players, as well as Latin media members, NBA sponsors, broadcasters and league executives.

Los Angeles Hispanic Community Outreach

MONDAY, February 9 – Dominican guard Felipe Lopez (former Minnesota Timberwolves) will participate in the Read to Achieve Caravan, which will be filled with NBA legends, WNBA stars, NBA family members and Read to Achieve All-Stars who will travel throughout Los Angeles to promote the joy and importance of reading with visits to Miles Avenue Elementary School in Huntington Park, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles and Foshay Elementary in Los Angeles.

TUESDAY, February 10 – The Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA, presented by Gatorade and Nike, will play host to hundreds of children from Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA member leagues with a series of Basketball & Books clinics. At each clinic site, NBA legends and WNBA stars, including Lopez, will provide instruction on the benefits of an active lifestyle, reinforce the importance of reading and work with the kids on basketball fundamentals. In addition to the clinics, a new court that has been refurbished by the NBA and Nike, made partially from recycled Nike sneakers, will be dedicated at the Eastside Boys and Girls Club.

THURSDAY, February 12 – A number of Latin NBA personalities and executives are expected to be on hand together with NBA legends and players from the Clippers and Lakers to help dedicate a new Reading and Learning Center at the Los Angeles Boys and Girls Club and unveil the extensive renovations they have done to improve the club’s facility at the annual NBA All-Star Legacy Project. In addition to a new technology lab, the Reading and Learning Center will provide thousands of donated books, resource guides and materials to the hundreds of children who are members of this Boys & Girls Club.

SATURDAY, February 14 – NBA All-Star Read to Achieve Celebration – The culmination of the week’s community events will take place on Saturday morning at NBA All-Star Jam Session, when more than 2,000 young people from local schools and community organizations gather to hear some of the music world’s hottest acts, stars from the NBA and WNBA and celebrities from film and television share their love of reading at the Read to Achieve Celebration. The Read to Achieve Celebration will air on Saturday, February 14 at 12 NOON ET/9 a.m. PT on several channels live, including Spanish-language mun2. Telemundo will re-broadcast parts of the event on February 21.

SUNDAY, February 15, noon – Youth from the local Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA programs will participate in special clinic at the Esquina Latina hosted by Latin NBA players.

Spanish-language television at All-Star
” Telemundo Network will be broadcasting several shows live from NBA All-Star, including the Mañanitas morning show (Friday, Feb. 13, 6 & 9 AM PST), NBA Max (Saturday, Feb. 14, Noon PST), and Titulares Telemundo (various times). Other shows that will be present during the week include Al Rojo Vivo and Ritmo Deportivo Their broadcast team includes Lopez, who was recently signed to co-host of the network’s pre-game shows though the rest of the season.

ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s Spanish-language network which launched in January, will also be on hand, providing coverage of 2004 NBA All-Star, including highlights on SportsCenter.

NBA en Español Newspaper Insert – 2004 All-Star Edition

For the second consecutive year, the NBA has will produce a Spanish-language newspaper insert, featuring the league’s Latin superstars and information on the 2004 All-Star event in Los Angeles.

The full-color, eight-page insert will be distributed the week of All-Star weekend inside eight Spanish-language newspapers, with a combined circulation of approximately 1 million copies.

Newspapers include: El Nuevo Herald (Miami), El Sentinel (Orlando), Hoy (Chicago), Hoy (New York), La Opinión (Los Angeles), La Voz (Houston), La Estrella (Dallas), and La Prensa (San Antonio).

” The publication includes articles by NBA experts and Hispanic and Latin American journalists, including: a feature Argentine Julian Mozo of Ole Newspaper on the emergence of the Latin players, an article on Puerto Rican Carlos Arroyo of the Utah Jazz by ESPN Deportes’ Carlos Morales and an in-depth Q & A with Ginóbili.

For more information at http://ww.nba.com/espanol