JULY 30, 2015 – The Charlotte Hornets announced today that the team has signed its first-ever partnership in the fantasy sports category as the organization has reached a multi-year agreement with FanDuel, the global leader in one-day fantasy sports.
The partnership provides Hornets fans the opportunity to play free FanDuel games online with the chance to win once-in-a-lifetime VIP experiences. These unique experiences – approximately one per month during the 2015-16 NBA season – will include the following: a General Manager for a Day experience; a trip with the Hornets for one of the team’s road games; a chance to be honorary team captains for a game; a Court of Dreams experience to play on the Hornets main court prior to a game; and autographed merchandise.
“We are thrilled to have our first partnership in this category be with FanDuel, the premier one-day fantasy sports site,” said Hornets President & COO Fred Whitfield. “We are pleased that this multi-faceted partnership provides our fans with the opportunity to win unique Hornets experiences by participating in FanDuel games.”
“The Charlotte Hornets are a unique and incredible organization that we are privileged to be partnering up with,” said FanDuel CEO and Co-Founder Nigel Eccles. “With our new partnership, we will be able to provide unrivaled fan experiences and opportunities.”
Along with providing Hornets fans with VIP experiences, FanDuel will have activations at all Hornets watch parties during the 2015-16 season as well as sponsor the “Fantasy Outlook of the Week” segment on hornets.com. Additional elements of the partnership include courtside and LED signage within Time Warner Cable Arena, in-arena scoreboard features during games, advertising on hornets.com and appearances by the Honey Bees and Hugo at FanDuel events. FanDuel will also have the ability to utilize Hornets logos and marks.
About Hornets Sports & Entertainment
Hornets Sports & Entertainment owns the Charlotte Hornets and operates Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena. The Charlotte Hornets are a member of the NBA’s Southeast Division. Owned by NBA Legend Michael Jordan, the Hornets organization strives to deliver a relentless attack on the court, an unmatched experience in the stands and a positive impact throughout the community. The name of the city’s original NBA team from 1988-2002, the Hornets moniker returned to Charlotte in May 2014, uniting the rich history of NBA basketball in the Carolinas. Time Warner Cable Arena is the premier destination for sports and entertainment in the Carolinas, hosting over 150 sporting events, concerts and family shows annually. For more information, please visit hornets.com or timewarnercablearena.com.
About FanDuel
FanDuel is the leading one-day fantasy sports company that is transforming the world of fantasy sports with an exciting new way to play. Since 2009 FanDuel has taken the one-day fantasy sports concept from launch to paying out over $10 million in prizes every week, and growing. New public and private leagues form daily and range in size from two to thousands of players. Entry fees start at $1 and payouts happen after games end. Based in New York City with an office in Edinburgh, Scotland, FanDuel is venture backed and has raised $88 million in funding to date from investors including Shamrock Capital, NBC Sports Ventures, KKR, Comcast Ventures, Pentech Ventures, Piton Capital and Bullpen Capital. For more information, visit www.fanduel.com or download the iPhone or iPad app in the App Store.
For More Information Contact:Mike Cristaldi, Charlotte Hornets, 704-688-8866, mcristaldi@hornets.com<mailto:mcristaldi@hornets.com>Emily Bass, FanDuel, 646-930-0231, emily@fanduel.com<mailto:emily@fanduel.com>
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