NEW YORK, Jan. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente and the National Basketball Association (NBA) announced today a new multiyear strategic partnership that will focus on building healthier communities.  The agreement also makes Kaiser Permanente the Official Health Care Partner of the NBA, Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), NBA Development League (NBA D-League), and USA Basketball. 

The collaboration – an extension of both organizations' shared commitment to improving the health and wellness of fans and the communities in which they live – marks the NBA's first-ever health care partner and Kaiser Permanente's first-ever national partnership with a professional sports league.  As part of the relationship, Kaiser Permanente will serve as the health care expert and consultant for the NBA on health and wellness programming and will play a critical role in the development of an annual NBA Health and Wellness Forum to address health issues affecting NBA fans and local communities.  The forum will feature top leaders in the health care industry as well as representatives from the NBA family.

The partnership aligns the NBA FIT campaign, which encourages fans to "Be Active, Eat Healthy, Play Together" with Kaiser Permanente's "Thrive" campaign focused on empowering people to maximize their health in mind, body, and spirit.  The partnership will leverage the NBA's marquee events, community programming, and fitness platforms and Kaiser Permanente's leading medical and community health management expertise to provide fans with greater access to health and wellness content and advice. 

"Kaiser Permanente has a long history of investing in the health and well-being of our communities, and we fully recognize the importance of working with organizations such as the NBA to improve community health," said Kaiser Permanente Chairman and CEO Bernard J. Tyson.  "As a country, we need a more comprehensive approach to health, and this relationship with the NBA will be fully aligned with this approach by identifying opportunities where together we can have the greatest impact on advancing health where people live, work, learn and play."

"This groundbreaking partnership enhances the work we're doing in our communities through NBA FIT and NBA Cares," said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.  "We look forward to working with Kaiser Permanente to create new and custom activities and programs that impact the health and wellness of fans of all ages."

Kaiser Permanente will serve as the presenting partner of NBA FIT Live Healthy Week, which tips off today and runs through Jan. 29.  Throughout the week, Kaiser Permanente and the NBA will mount a social media campaign to encourage fans to make a pledge toward healthier living.  On Jan. 26, NBA FIT team member and Kaiser Permanente ambassador Stephen Curry will join the Golden State Warriors for a special partnership tip-off event and Get Fit Clinic at an elementary school in Oakland, California.

In addition to this groundbreaking program, Kaiser Permanente and the NBA will conduct 14 community health and wellness events annually across NBA, WNBA, and NBA D-League markets.  At NBA All-Star 2015, Kaiser Permanente will serve as a partner of the NBA All-Star FIT Celebration, a city-wide event which brings fun, fitness, and basketball-related programming to youth throughout New York City's five boroughs. 

Kaiser Permanente will also become the presenting partner of the NBA Cares Community Assist Award, a seasonlong program that each month honors a different NBA player who reflects the league's passion for community service.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 9.5 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: kp.org/share.

About the NBA

The NBA is a global sports and media business built around three professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women's National Basketball Association, and the NBA Development League.  The league has established a major international presence with offices in 13 markets worldwide, games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 47 languages, and NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on 6 continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2014-15 season featured a record 101 international players from 37 countries and territories.  NBA Digital's assets include NBA TV, which is available in 60 million U.S. homes, and NBA.com, which recorded 26.9 billion page views during the 2013-14 season, with more than half of all visitors originating from outside of North America.  The NBA is the No. 1 professional sports league on social media, with more than 750 million likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league and its teams and players have donated more than $242 million to charity, completed more than 3 million hours of hands-on community service, and created more than 915 places where kids and families can live, learn, or play.

Contacts:
Michael Chavez Booth, NBA, 212.407.8652 or mchavezbooth@nba.com  
Ravi Poorsina, Kaiser Permanente, 510.625.5593 or Ravi.X.Poorsina@kp.org

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