The NBA and FedEx Corp. have extended their United States marketing partnership that is centered around a core of international players. San Antonio Spurs guards Tony Parker (France) and Manu Ginobili (Argentina) will be a key part of that effort. Other international players to be involved in the marketing campaign include Phoenix Suns guard Steve Nash (Canada), Chicago Bulls forward Luol Deng (England/Sudan), and New Orleans Hornets forward Peja Stojakovic (Serbia).
The Spurs' Parker is one of the first international players to win the NBA Finals MVP award. Parker achieved that honor last season, as the Spurs won their fourth NBA championship in the last nine seasons.
Parker scored 15 points in the Spurs win over the Sacramento Kings 96-80 Friday night.
The FedEx deal makes it the official air and ground delivery service of the NBA. FedEx (NYSE: FDX) is a ground and air transportation company based in Memphis, Tennessee.
Joining Tim Duncan on the All Star team as a Western Conference reserve is team mate Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs. Tony was selected by the 30 NBA head coaches, who were asked to vote for seven players in their respective conferences -- two guards, two forwards, one center and two players regardless of position. They were not permitted to vote for players from their own team. The selections of Steve Nash (Canada), Dirk Nowitzki (Germany) and Parker (France) along with voted-starters Tim Duncan (U.S. Virgin Islands) and Yao Ming (China), gives the 2007 NBA All-Star Game five international players.
Phoenix Suns head coach Mike D’Antoni and the Suns’ coaching staff will be on the sidelines for the Western Conference All-Stars, as they previously clinched the best winning percentage through games of Feb. 4 among eligible Western Conference teams for the All-Star coaching honors. The NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 18, will air live on TNT and ESPN Radio beginning at 8 p.m. EST. The game will also be telecast in over 200 countries and broadcast on NBA.com.
This year’s NBA All-Stars will be outfitted for the first time by adidas who have created new uniforms inspired by the city of Las Vegas. The deep blue colors of the East All-Star uniforms and the rich red colors of the West All-Star uniforms speak to the bright colors of its famous Strip. Jerseys have "East" and "West" wordmarks on the front along with individual player name, number, and team logo embroidered on the back.
You can include Tony Parker among those surprised to hear he had been named as one of the Western Conference's seven All-Star reserves Thursday night. Unlike previous years, the NBA didn't notify the reserves of their selection before making its national announcement on TNT. Parker wasn't even watching the TNT announcement show. He was in his hotel room with fiancée Eva Longoria watching Michael Jordan take on the Phoenix Suns in an old NBA Finals game on ESPN Classic and switched channels during commercials. "I came to TNT and I just see the list," Parker said. "I saw my name and I was like, 'I made it?'
"Eva started screaming. I still had a hard time believing. I was like 'Let me make sure.' Nobody's calling me. My agent's not calling me. It was funny."
Thinking the West coaches would select either Denver's Carmelo Anthony or Dallas' Josh Howard ahead of him, Parker had hoped NBA commissioner David Stern would name him as an injury replacement for either Houston's Yao Ming or Utah's Carlos Boozer. Now he doesn't have to wait for Stern's announcement. While Parker's selection came as a surprise given the number of talented forwards in the West, opposing coaches frequently discuss how difficult it is to defend him given his speed. "How can you be more happy," Parker said, "when you know the coaches around the NBA respect your game and reward you?"
This is Parker's second consecutive selection to the All-Star team.
Fans Will Have The Opportunity To Submit Their Vote For MVP
Fans will have the opportunity to submit their vote on NBA.com and their mobile phones and have it count towards selecting the MVP of the 56th NBA All-Star Game, as a part of the site's exclusive 2007 NBA All-Star coverage.
NBA All-Star 2007 is a week-long celebration that enables fans to experience the thrill of the world’s greatest athletes playing the game they love and features a full slate of community-enhancing activities and fan festivals such as NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas.
Following are the complete rosters for the East and West teams for the 2007 NBA All-Star Game at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.
Eastern Conference F – LeBron James, Cleveland F – Chris Bosh, Toronto C – Shaquille O’Neal, Miami G – Dwyane Wade, Miami G G – Gilbert Arenas, Washington R – Chauncey Billups, Detroit R – Caron Butler, Washington R – Vince Carter, New Jersey R – Richard Hamilton, Detroit R – Dwight Howard, Orlando R – Jason Kidd, New Jersey R – Jermaine O'Neal, Indiana Head coach: TBD
Western Conference F – Kevin Garnett, Minnesota F – Tim Duncan, San Antonio C – Yao Ming, Houston G – Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers G – Tracy McGrady, Houston R – Carlos Boozer, Utah R – Allen Iverson, Denver R – Shawn Marion, Phoenix R – Steve Nash, Phoenix R – Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas R – Tony Parker, San Antonio R – Amare Stoudemire, Phoenix Head coach: Mike D’Antoni, Phoenix
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