MTN DEW® and RUFFLES® Present The Block at NBA® All-Star 2022

PURCHASE, N.Y., Feb. 9, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- This February, the hoops world collides in Cleveland for NBA All-Star 2022 as MTN DEW^® and RUFFLES^® come together to bring fans closer to the action than ever before. The snack and beverage duo are giving fans unparalleled access to top players, musical acts, personalities, artists, designers and more.

• NBA and WNBA athletes Zach LaVine, Jayson Tatum, Collin Sexton, A'ja Wilson and Comedian Druski join a Grammy-nominated, multiplatinum artist to rock 'The Block'
• For the first time, RUFFLES, the Official Chip of the NBA, will serve as the title sponsor of the 2022 RUFFLES NBA All-Star Celebrity Game. And the RUFFLES 4-Point Ridge Line is back by popular demand! For every shot made from behind the 4-point line, RUFFLES and the NBA will donate $4,000 to support the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, a minimum of $40,000.
• MTN DEW returns as the official sponsor of the fan-favorite 3-Point Contest. The DEW Zone™ (aka basketball's ultimate deep shot) returns to test the league's top shooters in the star-studded MTN DEW 3-Point Contest.

"We're excited to bring the bold and unique style of MTN DEW to Cleveland for NBA All-Star 2022 – continuing the 3-Point DEW Zone tradition we introduced in 2020 and creating unique experiences for fans at home and local to Cleveland around our roster of NBA athletes that celebrate fans' love of the game," says Pat O' Toole, vice president, marketing, MTN DEW. "We built The Block as a hub to celebrate DEW Nation's love for all-things basketball, music and culture on and off the court."

"RUFFLES fans embody everything basketball culture offers – which is why we continue to bring them one-of-a-kind experiences to help fuel that passion through our NBA athlete partnerships, bold new flavor launches, and more," says Stacy Taffet, senior vice president of marketing, Frito-Lay North America. "Whether it's our role as the new title sponsor of the Celebrity All-Star Game or the launch of The Block activation, we're putting on a full court press to reach our fans – both in Cleveland and those streaming from home with their favorite RUFFLES chips." 

MTN DEW x RUFFLES Presents 'The Block' 
MTN DEW and RUFFLES are doing it BIG with 'The Block', a three-day experience in one of Cleveland's hottest neighborhoods.

• TALENT APPEARANCES. Some of the biggest names in sports, culture and gaming will be in the building including NBA All-Stars Zach LaVine and Jayson Tatum, WNBA MVP A'ja Wilson, Comedian Druski and more
• FEELIN' THE RHYMES. Performances by a superstar rapper and supporting acts on The Block's biggest stage
• CLEVELAND CULTURE. DEW celebrates community with Cleveland's finest: Cavaliers Guard Collin Sexton, artists Glen Infante and Aldonte Flonnoy and muralist Isaiah Williams 
• FASHION FORWARD. Gear up with an exclusive DEW x Midwest Kids four-piece merch collab

The Block opens on Friday, February 18 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET and Saturday, February 19 and Sunday, February 20 from 12 to 7 p.m. ET.

And basketball fans everywhere can get in on the action, MTN DEW and RUFFLES are taking The Block virtual with a streaming event you won't want to miss. Fan favorite NBA stars, personalities and streamers come together to bring the excitement of NBA All-Star to Twitter on Sunday, February 20 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET.

MTN DEW 3-Point Contest 
MTN DEW returns as the official sponsor of the highly-anticipated 3-Point Contest. The league's top shooters will compete in the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest in hopes of being named a champion.

MTN DEW literally changed the 3-Point contest in 2020 with the introduction of The DEW Zone, an area on the court 30 feet from the hoop that awards three points per shot, more than any other in the competition. It's the ultimate deep shot equipped with everyone's favorite DEW Zone basketballs and they're back in time for NBA All-Star 2022!

MTN DEW is donating $30,000 to nonprofit organization, Ross Initiative Sports for Equality (RISE), to help inspire leaders in sport to create positive change and support the organization's mission to champion racial equity. Additionally, with every shot made from The DEW Zone during the MTN DEW 3-Point Contest, the brand will donate an additional $5,000.   

The 2022 MTN DEW 3-Point Contest takes place on Saturday, Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. ET on TNT during NBA All-Star in Cleveland.

OWN YOUR RIDGES EVENT at House Three Thirty  
In the next phase of RUFFLES' multi-year partnership with global icon LeBron James, the brand is taking it back to where it all started for James with a special event in his hometown of Akron, Ohio.

With the LeBron James Family Foundation, RUFFLES will host an inspirational event on Thursday, Feb. 17 at House Three Thirty, a new multi-purpose venue designed to create opportunities for I PROMISE families and the Akron community. The event will host sessions led by a diverse group of panelists, including James' mother, Gloria James, to empower the leaders of tomorrow to find and lean into what makes them uniquely themselves.

2022 RUFFLES NBA All-Star Celebrity Game 
Three, two, one… Baller! As the Official Chip of the NBA, RUFFLES has become synonymous with basketball by serving as the presenting partner of the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game for three years and partnering with the biggest names in the sport to bring unparalleled experiences and flavors to fans. Now, for the first time, RUFFLES will debut as the title partner of the 2022 RUFFLES All-Star Celebrity Game on Friday, Feb. 18. 

TV and film stars, musicians, and professional athletes from the likes of Tiffany Haddish, Jack Harlow, Machine Gun Kelly, Quavo and Mayor Justin Bibb will flood the court for what is sure to be a game you won't want to miss.  

If that wasn't enough, the RUFFLES 4-point Ridge Line, a 4-point line resembling the ridges in RUFFLES potato chips, is back by popular demand and to support a good cause. And for the first time ever, the RUFFLES NBA All-Star Celebrity Game is going to tip-off with the RUFFLES Ridge 4-point Shooting Competition where both Team Walton and Team Wilkins will nominate one player to participate for the incentive of a 4-0 head start. Even more, shooting from the RUFFLES 4-point Ridge Line is symbolic of RUFFLES brand purpose, to inspire confidence by owning your ridges and what makes you, YOU. For every shot made from behind the line, RUFFLES and the NBA will donate $4,000 to support the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, a minimum of $40,000.

The 2022 RUFFLES NBA All-Star Celebrity Game will air exclusively on ESPN at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Feb. 18 from Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio.   

MTN DEW & RUFFLES Presented by Pepsi Stronger Together
MTN DEW and RUFFLES will also team up with Pepsi Stronger Together - PepsiCo's series of community grassroots-based initiatives for a program supporting the students of Saint Martin De Porres. The program includes a special pep rally, featuring snacks and beverages, along with a few surprises to kick off the weekend.

For more information, visit DewxRuffles.com/TheBlock to view the full schedule of events during NBA All-Star 2022. Join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram @mountaindew and @ruffles.

Contacts for MTN DEW  

Jayme Mizzoni, [email protected]
Brad Shulkin, [email protected] 

Contacts for RUFFLES  

Brianna Swan, [email protected]
Kelsey Kolisek, [email protected]  

About MTN DEW
MOUNTAIN DEW®, a product of PepsiCo North America Beverages, is the No. 1 flavored carbonated soft drink in the U.S. With its one-of-a-kind citrus taste, MOUNTAIN DEW exhilarates and quenches with every sip. In addition to the original MOUNTAIN DEW and DIET MOUNTAIN DEW®, the permanent DEW® product line includes MTN DEW® KICKSTART™, MOUNTAIN DEW® CODE RED®, MOUNTAIN DEW VOLTAGE®, MTN DEW® Zero Sugar, MTN DEW MAJOR MELON®, MTN DEW MAJOR MELON Zero Sugar, MTN DEW SPARK™ and MTN DEW SPARK Zero Sugar. For more information, check out www.mountaindew.com, www.facebook.com/mountaindew or follow-on Twitter @mountaindew.

About RUFFLES
RUFFLES is one of many Frito-Lay North America brands – the $17 billion convenient foods division of PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP), which is headquartered in Purchase, NY. Follow RUFFLES on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Learn more about Frito-Lay at the corporate website, http://www.fritolay.com/, the Snack Chat blog, http://www.snacks.com/ and on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/fritolay.  

About NBA All-Star 2022
NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland will bring together the most talented and passionate players for a global celebration of the game as the league celebrates its 75^th Anniversary Season.  The 71^st NBA All-Star Game will take place on Sunday, Feb. 20 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and will reach fans in 215 countries and territories in 59 languages.  TNT will televise the All-Star Game for the 20^th consecutive year, marking Turner Sports' 37^th year of NBA All-Star coverage.  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will also host Clorox Rising Stars on Friday, Feb. 18 and State Farm All-Star Saturday Night on Saturday, Feb. 19.  The RUFFLES NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Feb. 18 and the NBA All-Star Practice and NBA HBCU Classic, both presented by AT&T, on Feb. 19 will take place at the Wolstein Center.

About PepsiCo
PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated $70 billion in net revenue in 2020, driven by a complementary beverage and convenient foods portfolio that includes Lays, Doritos, Cheetos, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, Quaker, and SodaStream. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including many iconic brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Beverages and Convenient Foods by Winning with PepsiCo Positive (pep+). pep+ is our strategic end-to-end transformation that puts sustainability at the center of how we will create value and growth by operating within planetary boundaries and inspiring positive change for planet and people. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com.

SOURCE PepsiCo; Frito-Lay North America