NEW YORK – As part of NBA All-Star 2019, members of the NBA family will work alongside local community organizations to support tens of thousands of children, families and people in need across Charlotte through a series of grassroots programs and events.  Using the game of basketball to bring people together and empower the city’s next generation of leaders, the week’s hands-on service projects, basketball clinics and games, community forums, and physical and mental wellness events will begin Wednesday, Feb. 13.

NBA All-Stars, MTN DEW ICE Rising Stars, and NBA and WNBA players and legends will participate in more than 35 events, including NBA All-Star FIT Celebration, NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service, Jr. NBA Day and the NBA Cares Special Olympics Unified^® Basketball Game.  Guided by leading organizations like Time Out Youth Center, Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE), KultureCity, Discovery Education, Positive Coaching Alliance and Athlete Ally, these efforts are structured to teach values and fundamentals of the game, create spaces for open and honest dialogue, and build lasting support systems and mentorship opportunities for young people of all ages.

“NBA All-Star allows us to provide resources and support to uplift communities, ultimately creating a more equitable future long after the game concludes,” said Todd Jacobson, NBA Senior Vice President, Social Responsibility.  “These organizations, local leaders and the Charlotte Hornets have championed values central to our game like teamwork, selflessness, belonging and mutual respect, and we’re thrilled to work together in service of youth and families throughout Charlotte.”

As previously announced, Team LeBron and Team Giannis have selected Right Moves for Youth and the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina as the Charlotte-based organizations they will play for during the NBA All-Star Game, respectively.  Both organizations will attend NBA All-Star Practice presented by AT&T, the NBA All-Star Game and participate in a special in-arena experience.  The winning team will donate $350,000 and the losing team will donate $150,000 to their selected organizations.

NBA Cares All-Star Community Events Schedule:

• Time Out Youth Center Dinner and Conversation (Wednesday, Feb. 13)
  • NBA and WNBA legends and league staff will participate in a conversation with LGBTQ youth and allies from Time Out Youth Center.  A safe space for LGBTQ youth in the Charlotte area, Time Out Youth Center provides in-depth personalized support services, programming, and a community where everyone is welcome.
• Novant Health Hemby Children’s Hospital Visit (Thursday, Feb. 14):
  • Members of the NBA family will visit patients and families at Novant Hemby Children’s Hospital and its St. Jude affiliate, joining them to play games and make Valentine’s Day cards and crafts.
• NBA All-Star FIT Celebration presented by Kaiser Permanente (Thursday, Feb. 14):
  • The NBA and Kaiser Permanente will come together to dedicate new locker rooms, a refurbished court and yoga and meditation space at West Charlotte High School, before leading students in oncourt clinics, cooking and meditation activities that encourage total health.  Headspace will also gift yearlong subscriptions to every school teacher and provide free access to the app for students.
• NBA Voices Community Conversation (Thursday, Feb. 14):
  • In partnership with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District, Time Out Youth Center and Right Moves For Youth, the NBA will bring together local youth, law enforcement and community leaders for a facilitated discussion about identity, racial bias, conflict resolution and ways to build a stronger and more inclusive community.
• NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service (Friday, Feb. 15):
  • More than 1,500 volunteers, including NBA and WNBA players and legends, coaches and partners, will lead three service projects with support from Nike, SAP, State Farm^® and Timberland.  Volunteers will assemble food donations at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina to aid local families, seniors and pets; additional volunteers will refurbish community spaces and a playground at Little Rock Apartments with United Way of Central Carolinas; and others will join Classroom Central to package school supplies for local teachers and students.
• NBA Cares Special Olympics Unified Basketball Game (Friday, Feb. 15):
  • NBA and WNBA players and legends will join 12 Special Olympics athletes from North Carolina and around the world for a demonstration game at Bojangles’ Coliseum before the 2019 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game presented by Ruffles.  For every 4-pointer made from behind “The RIDGE” during the game, Ruffles will donate $4,000 (minimum donation of $40,000) to Special Olympics to foster environments of inclusion in sports.
• Building Bridges Through Basketball (Saturday, Feb. 16):
  • NBA Voices, Under Armour, RISE, Mecklenburg County Parks & Recreation and the Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Department will help tip off the 7th NBA Voices Building Bridges Through Basketball series.  The 10-week program will bring together Charlotte youth and law enforcement for basketball clinics and leadership activities that create space for open discussion, encourage mutual trust, and focus on identity, diversity and conflict resolution.
• Hoops For Troops (Thursday, Feb. 14 – Sunday, Feb. 17):
  • Throughout the week, the NBA will partner with the United Service Organizations (USO), Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS), Fort Bragg and Camp Lejuene to host special experiences for active duty military members and families of fallen servicemen and women.
• Make-A-Wish^® (Thursday, Feb. 14 – Sunday, Feb. 17):
  • The NBA and Make-A-Wish will grant the wishes of eight kids facing critical illnesses, treating the youth and their families to several days of fun events, including meet-and-greets with NBA All-Stars, State Farm^® All-Star Saturday Night participants and NBA and WNBA legends.
• Spectrum Center Sensory Inclusive Certification (Friday, Feb. 15 – Sunday, Feb. 17):
  • In January 2019, Spectrum Center became certified as Sensory Inclusive by KultureCity, a leading organization rethinking accessibility for families with sensory needs.  As part of this certification, staff have been trained to accommodate guests, and fans will have free access to noise-canceling headphones, fidget tools and more during All-Star events.

Jr. NBA presented by Under Armour Schedule of Events:

• Discovery Education Virtual Field Trip (Thursday, Feb. 14):
  • The NBA and Discovery Education are bringing the All-Star Virtual Field Trip (VFT) to more than 2,000 middle school classrooms across the country, introducing students to NBA-related careers by demonstrating how math and STEM are critical to their future success.
• Jr. NBA Day (Friday, Feb. 15):
  • In partnership with Under Armour, more than 1,500 local youth, including several from TAPS, will participate in a series of basketball clinics alongside NBA All-Stars on courts provided by SnapSports.
• Her Time To Play Panel (Friday, Feb. 15):
  • Her Time To Play, the WNBA and NBA’s initiative to inspire the next generation of girls, ages 7-14, to play basketball in a positive and healthy way, will convene female trailblazers and male allies at the FQ Equality Lounge for a discussion about the unique challenges girls and women in sports face.
• Gatorade Jr. NBA All-Star Invitational (Friday, Feb. 15 – Saturday, Feb. 16):
  • Sixteen top boys and girls middle school basketball teams will play in the Gatorade Jr. NBA All-Star Invitational quarterfinal, semifinal and championship rounds on Saturday and Sunday.  Winning teams will earn a spot in the Jr. NBA Global Championship’s Southeast Regional tournament, with the chance to play at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla. in August.
• Jr. NBA Skills Challenge and 3v3 All-Star Tournament (Friday, Feb. 15 – Saturday, Feb. 16):
  • More than 500 participants will compete for a chance to advance to the national finals of the Jr. NBA Skills Challenge and 3v3 All-Star Tournament held in New York and Dallas, respectively.
• Jr. NBA Coaches Forum (Sunday, Feb. 17):
  • In partnership with the Positive Coaching Alliance, A Call to Men and Athlete Ally, the Jr. NBA will host its 10th Coaches Forum designed to educate and support local coaches on issues related to gender identity, unconscious bias and diversity, and share best practices for creating a more open and inclusive team culture.

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.  NBA Cares programs and participants have provided more than 4.7 million hours of hands-on service and created more than 1,250 places where kids and families can live, learn or play in communities around the world.  The NBA also engages more than 26 million youth annually, inspiring play and teaching the values of the game.  NBA Cares works with internationally recognized youth-serving programs that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes, including: Thurgood Marshall College Fund, Special Olympics, YMCA of the USA, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, UNICEF, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Share Our Strength and GLSEN.

About the Jr. NBA
The Jr. NBA presented by Under Armour is the league’s youth basketball participation program that provides a fun environment for kids to learn the fundamentals and values of the game.  The Jr. NBA is focused on helping grow and improve the youth basketball experience for players, coaches and parents, and offers a free curriculum covering all levels of the game that includes 48 practice plans and more than 250 instructional videos featuring NBA and WNBA players.  The Jr. NBA World Championship, a first-of-its kind global youth basketball tournament for top 13- and 14-year-old boys and girls teams from around the world, took place in August 2018.

In partnership with USA Basketball, the NBA developed two sets of youth basketball guidelines which promote player health and wellness and age-appropriate rules and standards.  Through a network of affiliated youth basketball organizations and programs such as the Jr. NBA Skills Challenge presented by Verizon and 3v3 Leagues presented by Shock Doctor, the Jr. NBA program has reached more than five million youth ages 6-14 in the U.S. and Canada since launching its expanded efforts in October 2015.  The Jr. NBA partnership network is comprised of youth basketball programs of all NBA, WNBA and NBA G League teams as well as elementary and middle schools, military bases and longstanding community partners.  For more information and to register for the Jr. NBA, visit www.JrNBA.com or download the Jr. NBA app.