NEW YORK – The National Basketball Association (NBA) and State Farm^® today announced that 2013 NBA All-Stars Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul have been named captains for the Eastern Conference and Western Conference teams, respectively, for State Farm All-Star Saturday Night in Houston.

For the first time, State Farm All-Star Saturday Night will feature a format that pits the Eastern Conference against the Western Conference in an exciting night of competition that will also raise money for charity. Wade, making his ninth All-Star appearance, and Paul, a six time All-Star, will lead the teammates from their respective conference that will be competing in the four All-Star skills competitions.

In addition, NBA Cares and State Farm will make a joint donation of $500,000 as part of the event, with $350,000 going to the winning conference’s charities and $150,000 to the runner-up conference’s charities. The Eastern Conference will be playing for Big Brothers Big Sisters and Make-A-Wish America, while the Western Conference will compete for Boys & Girls Club of America and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. The charities were selected by Wade and Paul, the NBA, and State Farm.

“State Farm All-Star Saturday Night is a night for the fans and the events provide some of the most memorable moments in NBA history,” said Paul. “Not only are we playing for bragging rights, but we are also raising money for charity, so it is definitely going to be a great night.”

“I’m honored to serve as the captain and represent the Eastern Conference in the first All-Star Saturday Night that will feature the East taking on the West,” said Wade. “We are looking forward to a night of rivalries, great competition, and most of all, putting on a great show for the fans.”

As part of the new format, points earned by each conference during the competitions will determine the conference that earns the title of 2013 State Farm All-Star Saturday Night Champion.

State Farm All-Star Saturday Night, an all-inclusive skills showcase, will take place on Saturday, Feb. 16 at the Toyota Center in Houston and will be televised live by TNT at 8 p.m. ET. The event consists of Sears Shooting Stars, a competition featuring NBA players, WNBA players, and NBA legends; the Taco Bell Skills Challenge, a contest of top guards working against the clock to complete a series of passes, free throws, layups and agility drills; the Foot Locker Three-Point Contest; and the Sprite Slam Dunk contest.

The 62^nd NBA All-Star Game will be played on Sunday, Feb. 17, at the Toyota Center, which will also host the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge. NBA All-Star Jam Session, the hugely successful interactive basketball celebration, will be held at the George R. Brown Convention Center and will host the Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game and the Sprint Pregame Concert.

2013 will mark the 29th year that Turner Sports will provide NBA All-Star coverage, and the 11th consecutive year the All-Star Game will be televised in primetime on TNT. The All-Star Game will be seen by a worldwide television audience in more than 215 countries and territories and in more than 47 languages.

During NBA All-Star 2013, the NBA will continue to celebrate its tradition of and commitment to social responsibility with a schedule of NBA Cares events. NBA Cares will partner with schools, government, and local nonprofit organizations in Houston and surrounding areas to highlight the league’s grassroots and community initiatives that reach millions of young people and their parents while providing critical resources to community-based programs.

About State Farm®
State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 43 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.

About NBA All-Star
NBA All-Star 2013 in Houston will bring together some of the most talented and passionate players in the league’s history for a global celebration of the game. The 62nd NBA All-Star Game, which will take place on Sunday, Feb. 17 at Toyota Center, will reach fans in 215 countries and territories in 47 languages. TNT will televise the All-Star Game for an 11th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports’ 29th year of All-Star coverage. State Farm All-Star Saturday Night will feature Sears Shooting Stars, Taco Bell Skills Challenge, Foot Locker Three-Point Contest, and Sprite Slam Dunk. Other events at NBA All-Star 2013 will include the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, NBA Development League All-Star Game, Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, and NBA All-Star Jam Session. Houston also hosted NBA All-Star in 2006 and 1989.

About NBA Cares
NBA Cares is the league’s global social responsibility program that builds on the NBA’s mission of addressing important social issues in the United States and around the world.  Through this program, the NBA, its teams and players have donated than $210 million to charity, completed more than 2.3 million hours of hands-on community service, and created more than 760 places where kids and families can live, learn, or play, in 23 countries and territories on five continents.   NBA Cares works with internationally recognized youth-serving programs that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes, including: KaBOOM!, Special Olympics, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, UNICEF, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis.