ARLINGTON, VA--(Marketwired - February 18, 2017) -
WHAT:
Hoops for Troops USO Tour
WHO:
Fourteen-year NBA veteran Caron Butler
NBA referee and critically acclaimed author Bob Delaney
NBA legend and Olympic Gold Medalist Sam Perkins
Ten-year WNBA veteran and Washington Mystics point guard Ivory Latta
WHEN:
Winter 2017
WHERE:
Middle East
Note: For security reasons, the locations and tour dates cannot be released at this time.
WHY:
Just two days before NBA's most star-studded event of the year -- the 66th Annual NBA All-Star Game -- the USO and the NBA are joining forces and bringing the fun and excitement from the New Orleans game to U.S. troops stationed in the Middle East as part of a USO entertainment tour. Designed to support and raise awareness of the USO's Force Behind the Forces -- a brand awareness campaign that encourages Americans to demonstrate their appreciation and support for those who serve -- the Hoops for Troops USO tour spans one week and features basketball greats Caron Butler, Sam Perkins, Bob Delaney and Ivory Latta. The trip marks the third USO tour for Perkins and first for Butler, Delaney and Latta. **To obtain approved USO photos click here.
Complete with a first-ever Hoops for Troops USO basketball tournament, played by servicemen and women stationed in the Middle East wearing authentic NBA All-Star apparel, the tour will include 3-point contests, dunk challenges, unit visits, a Hoops for Troops USO Town Hall and an All Star-Themed USO Viewing Party. The viewing party will be featured live in-arena and during the 66th NBA All-Star game broadcast on TNT Sunday, Feb. 19th -- to help connect service members to family and friends back home.
The NBA has a long-standing history of working with the military as part of the Hoops for Troops program and its ongoing work with the USO. Over the years, countless members of the NBA family have participated in USO tours. Among them are Ray Allen, Karl Malone, Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, Al Horford, Joe Johnson, D.J. Augustin, Brook and Robin Lopez, JaVale McGee and Mike Miller, among many others.
QUOTES:
Attributed to Bob Delaney:
"Sports are really important to the military because it's a way to stay connected to back home. Whether you are playing in a game, tracking the score of your favorite team or simply watching the highlights on television -- sports has a way of bringing people together. What the NBA and the USO are doing to help those serving on the frontlines is really commendable, and I am honored to be a part such a special trip."
Attributed to Sam Jenkins: