Shock Doctor Partners With NBA To Promote Mouthguard Adoption In Basketball

FOUNTAIN VALLEY, Calif., June 13, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading athletic protection and performance brand Shock Doctor announced today a multiyear partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) to promote mouthguard adoption among basketball players of all levels.  As part of the agreement, Shock Doctor has been named the official mouthguard of the NBA, Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), NBA Development League (NBA D-League) and USA Basketball (USAB).

On the youth level, Shock Doctor will participate in a wide variety of activities with the USA Basketball Youth Development program and Jr. NBA, the league's youth basketball participation program that teaches the fundamental skills as well as the core values of the game at the grassroots level.  Through these programs, USAB, the NBA and Shock Doctor will work together to educate kids and their families about the importance of mouthguards during basketball play.  

The partnership will allow Shock Doctor to develop league and team-specific mouthguard retail lines.  Shock Doctor also has relationships with some of the league's top talent including NBA All-Star DeMarcus Cousins, along with NBA All-Star Kevin Love and 2015 NBA champion Harrison Barnes, both of whom are currently competing against each other in the NBA Finals.

"We are proud to partner with industry leader Shock Doctor, which shares our commitment to youth basketball," said Emilio Collins, NBA Executive Vice President, Global Partnerships.  "Together, we will educate kids, parents and coaches in our Jr. NBA and USA Basketball Youth Development programs about the benefits of wearing mouthguards."

According to the National High School Sports Related Injury Surveillance Study, 2013-2014*, nearly one-third of all high school basketball injuries during competition occur to the head/face.¹ 

"We place great importance across all our brands on providing the best on-court protection so basketball players of all levels can stay healthy and stay in the game," said Tony Armand, CEO of United Sports Brands, the parent company of Shock Doctor.  "Our partnership with the NBA allows us to continue to speak to our key audience – passionate and devoted athletes who know they need the best protective equipment to stay safe on the court."

ABOUT SHOCK DOCTOR
Shock Doctor is the global leader in mouthguards, along with core protective equipment and apparel, performance sports therapy, sports insoles and performance compression and recovery – designed to protect and enhance the performance of athletes across a wide range of sports including football, basketball, hockey, baseball, lacrosse, MMA, fitness and more. For more information please visit www.ShockDoctor.com.

ABOUT UNITED SPORTS BRANDS
United Sports Brands is a global leader in sports performance and protective products designed to help athletes perform at their personal best. Brands within the company's impressive portfolio include Shock Doctor, the #1 global leader in mouthguards; McDavid, a brand at the top of the recommended lists of pro athletes, sports medicine professionals and athletic trainers for more than 30 years; Cutters, the innovative leader in the athletic glove market and high performance glove grip technology; and, XO Athletic, a premium, game-changing developer of athletic cups and sports protection. And its newest addition Nathan, the running essentials market leader in athletic hydration, visibility and performance gear. United Sports Brands is also a portfolio company of Bregal Partners, a private equity investment firm.

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 games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 49 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 2015-16 season featured 100 international players from 37 countries and territories.  NBA Digital's assets include NBA.com and the NBA app, which achieved record traffic during the 2014-15 season, as well as NBA TV.  The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than one billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.

CONTACT: 
Mary Horwath, (657) 383-4404, [email protected]
Kim Mandara, (212) 407-8158, [email protected]

¹ R. Dawn Comstock, Ph.D., Colorado School of Public Health

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SOURCE Shock Doctor

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