- BlazerDancers of the Portland Trail Blazers to Tip Off the NBA’s Premiere Interactive Touring Program in Guangzhou on March 30 -

BEIJING, March 27, 2007 – NBA Jam Van, the NBA’s premiere interactive touring program for fans, will return to China for the third consecutive year. The tour will tip off in Guangzhou on March 30 and run through October 4 in Xi’an. The NBA Jam Van will travel to 24 Chinese cities, seven more than last year’s tour and the journey will cover more than 18,000 miles (over 30,000 kilometers), traversing four municipalities and 16 provinces in its continuous quest to bring the NBA experience to fans all over China.

The third edition of the China NBA Jam Van is a tailor-made, 52 foot truck (16 meters) which transforms into over 10,000 square feet (1,000 square meters) of free basketball activities, allowing fans of all ages the opportunity to play like the pros.

This year, the NBA Jam Van tour is being staged with the support of our official partners: Gatorade, Lenovo, Li-Ning and Mengniu. Marketing partners will reward fans with special gifts and premiums simply by playing the game they love. The NBA Jam Van Passport, a fan collectible item, will give the first 500 fans a chance to redeem event exclusive premiums by collecting all four magnets by participating in the partners activities.

Six members of the Blazer Dancers from Portland will tip off the tour in Guangzhou by showcasing the NBA's authentic on-court entertainment and hosting autograph sessions for fans. The Guangzhou event will take place at the Hongcheng Plaza.

This year, more new elements and games will be featured including: the “NBA Jam Van Leaderboard,” where the names, photos and the scores of the top three participants of each Center Court activity will be highlighted on the giant screen on the NBA Jam Van; “I Love This Game Q & A” to test fans’ knowledge of the NBA with prizes given away. In addition, fans can slam dunk and sink three-pointers on two basketball courts with three different size baskets; participate in a wide array of interactive off-court activities, including video games, player measure-up areas and displays. Participants can also take advantage of product samples and demonstrations from the Jam Van’s official partners.

The Centre Court Highlight activities of the NBA Jam Van include:

  • Gatorade 1-ON-1: Fans to play a 3-minute 1-on-1 game on the court and the team who scores six points first will be crowned the winner.

  • Lenovo Fast Shooting Contest: Best free-throw shooters to compete with the time limitation of 30 seconds.

  • Li-Ning Slam Dunk Contest: Contestants to showcase their dunking skills. Dunks will be judged by the audience at each event.

  • Mengniu Basketball Skills Challenge: Fans to test their dribbling and lay-up skills in 60 seconds.

  • NBA Jam Van 2Ball: Two players take turns shooting from various spots on the floor in 60 seconds.

    • The 2007 NBA Jam Van China Tour’s schedule is as follow:

    First Half (13 Cities)

    		Second Half (11 Cities)

    Guangzhou (3/30 – 4/1)
    Shenzhen (4/6 – 4/8)
    Xiamen (4/13 – 4/15)
    Fuzhou (4/20 – 4/22)
    Ningbo (4/30 – 5/2)
    Hangzhou (5/5 – 5/7)
    Shanghai (5/11 – 5/13)
    Wuhan (5/18 – 5/20)
    Chongqing (5/25 – 5/27)
    Chengdu (6/1 – 6/3)
    Nanchang (6/8 – 6/10)
    Guilin (6/15 – 6/17)
    Changsha (6/22 – 6/24)
    		Harbin (7/20 – 7/22)
    Changchun (7/27 – 7/29)
    Beijing (8/3 – 8/5)
    Shenyang (8/10 – 8/12)
    Dalian (8/17 – 8/19)
    Qingdao (8/24 – 8/26)
    Jinan (8/31 – 9/2)
    Tianjin (9/7 – 9/9)
    Taiyuan (9/14 – 9/16)
    Zhengzhou (9/21 – 9/23)
    Xi’an (10/1 – 10/4)

    Last year, the NBA Jam Van rolled into 17 cities, tipping off on April 29 in Shanghai and culminated October 4, 2006 in Chengdu. The event enabled more than 2.3 million Chinese fans to experience the NBA. NBA Legend Vlade Divac and Damon Jones of the Cleveland Cavaliers also participated in the event. NBA talents including Timberwolves Dance Team of the Minnesota Timberwolves, Nuggets Dancers of the Denver Nuggets, Heat Dancers of the Miami Heat, Cavalier Girls of the Cleveland Cavilers, Boomer of the Indiana Pacers and the Toronto Raptors mascot were the special guests of the event and brought the authentic NBA in-game entertainment to fans in specific cities of the tour.

    The NBA Jam Van made its first ever overseas tour to China in 2005. It rolled into 11 cities, tipping off on July 28 in Shanghai and culminated October 7, 2005 in Beijing with participation from NBA Legend Robert Parish. The event enabled more than one million Chinese fans to experience the NBA. Special guests included Boomer of the Indiana Pacers, Burnie of the Miami Heat, the Royal Court Dancers of the Sacramento Kings, Suns Dance Team of the Phoenix Suns and Knicks City Dancers.