T-Mobile Hosts Super-Charged Events at NBA All-Star 2011

BELLEVUE, Wash., Feb. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- T-Mobile USA, Inc. is once again partnering with the NBA to make All-Star 2011 a truly memorable event. During this year's exciting weekend in Los Angeles, T-Mobile will bring the NBA experience to life through a variety of engaging activities including sponsoring its fifth T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, hosting fan and family fun at T-Mobile: NBA on 4G at NBA All-Star Jam Session, and – for the first time ever at All-Star – hosting the T-Mobile Magenta Carpet at the 2011 NBA All-Star Game.

"T-Mobile is thrilled to host so many activities during All-Star 2011 that gives NBA fans, and our loyal customers, a totally memorable experience," said John Clelland, senior vice president of marketing, T-Mobile USA. "Los Angeles is an amazing city for All-Star and T-Mobile is excited to bring to life first-time experiences for fans, including the T-Mobile Magenta Carpet and the NBA on 4G booth space at Jam Session – all using our fastest 4G devices on America's largest 4G network."

NBA All-Star 2011 includes the following events for fans to get in on the action:

T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam – Once again, T-Mobile is the title partner of the TMobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam, which pits the league's newest stars (the rookies) against the league's best second-year players (the sophomores). And, in support of a season-long effort to better youth communities in Los Angeles, T-Mobile has once again teamed up with NBA Cares to give local students a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. By successfully completing academic, reading, school attendance and community service requirements, more than 3,500 students ages 11-15, from more than 50 local schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District, will watch the game from the lower bowl's "best seats in the house" at STAPLES Center on Friday, Feb. 18. Students will wear T-Mobile jerseys, creating a "sea of magenta" throughout the stands. T-Mobile also will provide attendees with the opportunity to have their vote count toward selecting the MVP of the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam by voting on NBA.com or via SMS on mobile phones during the second half of the game.

T-Mobile Magenta Carpet at the 2011 NBA All-Star Game – The 2011 NBA All-Stars will shine alongside an A-list cast of television, film and music talent when they arrive at the first-ever T-Mobile Magenta Carpet at the 2011 NBA All-Star Game on Sunday, Feb. 20. There will be special performances by Grammy-nominated artist Bruno Mars and R&B superstar Keri Hilson. The event will feature Access Hollywood's Maria Menounos conducting interviews for NBA TV's and TNT's pregame specials, while actor/artist Nick Cannon will host the stage show. The 40,000 square-foot custom magenta carpet – the color synonymous with T-Mobile – will liven up the traditional pregame experience and live coverage of the T-Mobile Magenta Carpet will begin on NBA TV starting at 5 p.m. ET leading into TNT's live pregame show from 7 to 8 p.m. During the three-hour show, all 24 NBA All-Stars will walk the carpet in the first hour on their way to the arena, followed by a star-studded guest list of NBA players, NBA legends and celebrities from film, television, music, fashion, and other sports. T-Mobile will host hundreds of its own customers in a special viewing area on the carpet so they can watch athletes and celebrities arrive before the game, catching the action live and up-close.

NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas – Running Feb. 17-21, T-Mobile: NBA on 4G at Jam Session will showcase an innovative, super-charged interactive experience using our latest 4G devices running on America's largest 4G network. The T-Mobile: NBA on 4G space includes an innovative dome where exclusive video content, NBA statistics and live social media updates from Twitter and Facebook will be projected onto the walls of the structure, creating a unique environment to capture the speed of 4G for NBA fans. Attendees can record a video for the TNT "Ask Charles" segment, check out Dwyane Wade's myTouch 4G, video chat with friends, compete in a number of games and "step up to 4G" on the T-Mobile basketball half court. In addition, T-Mobile will host player appearances, including the star of T-Mobile's NBA ad campaign, Dwyane Wade, and current T-Mobile customers can show their phone for VIP treatment including exclusive prizes and special lines to activities. NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas takes place at the Los Angeles Convention Center and features over 11 acres of NBA All-Star excitement. For the full schedule of NBA Jam Session events visit www.nba.com/jamsession.

T-Mobile All-Star Access – T-Mobile hosted Los Angeles NBA players and legends at meet and greets throughout the city in early Feb. leading up to All-Star 2011. Lamar Odom, Shannon Brown, AC Green, Sam Perkins and James Worthy visited T-Mobile retail stores to meet fans and sign autographs. Hundreds of Los Angeles T-Mobile customers and NBA fans attended these events to meet their favorite players and win tickets to various All-Star games and events. Some lucky customers also won grand prize packages that included All-Star 2011 ticket packs to attend all of the weekend's events. Customers and fans have one more chance to get in on the action when Los Angeles-native and NBA All-Star select Russell Westbrook visits a T-Mobile retail store on Feb. 17.

T-Mobile® Rookie Program – T-Mobile is showcasing the NBA's newest players through the T-Mobile Rookie Program. Highlights include rookie award presentations such as the T-Mobile Rookies of the Month and T-Mobile Rookie of the Year, and the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam. T-Mobile congratulates the rookies who have made enormous contributions to their teams' success to earn the monthly honor. Winners this season include these:

T-Mobile NBA Ad Campaign – Launched in December, Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade, NBA legend Charles Barkley and acclaimed film director Spike Lee teamed up for T-Mobile's new NBA-themed television advertising campaign. Spike Lee directed two new ads for T-Mobile featuring NBA campaign veterans D-Wade and Sir Charles, with a special cameo by Phoenix Suns' Steve Nash. The ads highlight how T-Mobile's 4G devices, like the new myTouch 4G, operate at super fast speeds on America's largest 4G network, to keep fans connected to the quick pace of the NBA world. The advertisements, as well as a special music video remix featuring Barkley's ad, can be seen on T-Mobile's YouTube page.  

T-Mobile/NBA partnership information – T-Mobile's marketing partnership with the NBA dates back to 2005. For the 2010-2011 season, T-Mobile will support the following programs as part of its NBA partnership: NBA All-Star Balloting, T-Mobile Rookie of the Month, T-Mobile Rookie of the Year, T-Mobile Rookie Challenge & Youth Jam during NBA All-Star 2011, NBA Draft, NBA Summer League, NBA Nation, the WNBA and NBA D-League, and team sponsorships with Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Orlando Magic, Houston Rockets.

For live updates from T-Mobile during NBA All-Star 2011, visit T-Mobile's Facebook page, and for more information about T-Mobile's partnership with the NBA, visit http://www.t-mobile.com/nba.

About T-Mobile USA, Inc.

Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile USA, Inc. Is the U.S. wireless operation of Deutsche Telekom AG. By the end of the third quarter of 2010, approximately 130 million mobile customers were served by the mobile communication segments of the Deutsche Telekom group — 33.8 million by T-Mobile USA — all via a common technology platform based on GSM and UMTS, the world's most widely-used digital wireless standards. Today, T-Mobile operates America's largest 4G network, and is delivering a compelling 4G experience across a broad lineup of leading devices in more places than competing 4G services.  T-Mobile USA's innovative wireless products and services help empower people to connect to those who matter most. Multiple independent research studies continue to rank T-Mobile USA among the highest in numerous regions throughout the U.S. in wireless customer care and call quality. For more information, please visit http://www.T-Mobile.com. T-Mobile is a federally registered trademark of Deutsche Telekom AG.  For further information on Deutsche Telekom, please visit www.telekom.de/investor-relations.

For more information about T-Mobile's 4G products, please visit http://www.t-mobile.com.

SOURCE T-Mobile USA, Inc.