LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 22, 2006--Tonight, at its 2006 Awards for Business Excellence Gala, the Global Business Coalition onHIV/AIDS will pay tribute to the role of business in the global fight against AIDS and honor the National Basketball Association (NBA) for its ongoing commitment to fighting the spread of AIDS in communities around the globe. The GBC will honor six award recipients, including the NBA, at a high-level Awards Gala in London. Speakers at the Gala and Awards ceremony will include: British Prime Minister Tony Blair, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, Sir Elton John and Graca Machel. CNN Chief International Correspondent Christiane Amanpour will serve as master of ceremonies.

The NBA is being presented with the GBC Community Award for its Global Advocacy for HIV/AIDS, including the league's innovative implementation of the "Basketball without Borders" program. The program:

-- Sponsors camps where promising basketball players under age 19
receive training in leadership, life skills, healthy and safe
living, and HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention;

-- Draws on widespread support from the NBA community - to date
more than 120 NBA players, coaches and personnel from 29 teams
have participated, guiding more than 700 young athletes from
nearly 100 countries and territories;

-- Targets communities hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic,
including those in Brazil, Argentina, China and South Africa;

-- Establishes a lasting presence in the communities it assists
through the "Basketball without Borders Legacy Project," which
sets up Reading and Learning Centers for local NGOs to ensure
that HIV/AIDS awareness is communicated on an ongoing basis.

"We are greatly honored to have the efforts of our players, team personnel and league staff recognized by GBC, whose work in the business community in raising awareness of HIV/AIDS is so extraordinary," said NBA Commissioner David Stern. "Sports has an enormous opportunity to deliver important messages on a global basis, especially to youngsters, and we pledge to keep using the worldwide appeal of our sport to continue our HIV/AIDS education programs."

Note to Editors

1. About the National Basketball Association

The NBA, founded in 1946, is a global sports and entertainment brand that features 30 teams in the United States and Canada. As fans witness tremendous performances on the court, some of the NBA's most significant efforts occur off the court. This past year, the league launched its most ambitious community outreach endeavor, NBA Cares, which builds on the league's long tradition of addressing important social issues. Over the next five years, the league, teams, and players and will raise and contribute $100 million for charity, donate more than one million hours of hands-on volunteer service to communities around the world, and build more than 100 places where kids and families can live, learn and play. NBA Cares works with internationally-recognized youth-serving programs that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes including: UNICEF; Reading Is Fundamental; Habitat for Humanity; Boys and Girls Clubs of America; Charities Aid Foundation; Feed the Children, and many others.

2. About the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBC)

The Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS (GBC) is the pre-eminent organization mobilizing the resources of the business community in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The rapidly-expanding alliance of 212 international companies is dedicated to combating the AIDS epidemic through the business sector's unique skills and expertise. GBC's expert teams assist member companies in the design and development of specialized programs that leverage a company's assets and business skills to tailor an individual response to the crisis. GBC is the official focal point of the private sector to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. For more information, please visit the GBC website at www.businessfightsaids.org.

Copyright Business Wire 2006

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