NBA Legends to Launch 2005 Destination Finals Tour in Grand Style With Parade Down New York City's Fifth Avenue

NBA Legends to Launch 2005 Destination Finals Tour in Grand Style With Parade Down New York City's Fifth Avenue

Dr. J, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, and other NBA Legends to Pick-up Freshly Minted 2005 Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy

NBA Legends to Parade Down Fifth Avenue in Toyota Trophy-Mobile to NBA Store

NEW YORK, April 18 /PRNewswire/ -- To celebrate the 2005 NBA Playoffs, NBA legends Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Russell, Clyde Drexler, Walt "Clyde" Frazier, Robert Parish, Moses Malone, Earl Monroe, Dave Cowens, and George Gervin will launch the 2005 NBA Legends Tour: Destination Finals in New York City on Thursday, April 21 with a stop at Tiffany & Co. jewelry store to pick up the 2005 Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy, followed by a special parade down Fifth Avenue. The parade (weather permitting) will feature NBA legends, the trophy, a procession of Toyota vehicles -- including the Toyota Trophy-Mobile, a drum line, and an NBA Fan Patrol.

The parade will conclude at the NBA Store where the NBA legends will participate in a round table discussion about the 2005 NBA Playoffs. Also on display at the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue will be a unique collection of NBA Championship rings including selections from Shaquille O'Neal, David Robinson, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

The 2005 NBA Playoffs tip off Saturday, April 23 with games on ABC (3pm ET), ESPN (5:30pm ET, 8pm ET & 10:30pm ET) and a triple header on Sunday April 24 on TNT (beginning at 5:30pm ET).

As part of Destination Finals, NBA legends will showcase this year's Larry O'Brien trophy in NBA Playoff cities and various non-Playoff NBA cities for fan autograph and photo sessions, hospital visits and reading events, at NBA Playoff games. The trophy will also be making special appearances at USO supported military installations as part of the NBA's on-going commitment to our troops. The legends, who will travel more than 100,000 combined miles, will chronicle their experiences through interviews on nationally-televised Playoff games on ABC, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV as well as writing blogs on NBA.com.

After the Destination Finals tip-off in New York City, the legends and the trophy will head to both Phoenix and Miami for fan pep-rallies the following day. The trophy will also travel the globe attending numerous public events eventually arriving at Game 1 of The Finals on June 9th, and be present for every game throughout the series.

The 2005 NBA Legends Tour: Destination Finals in New York City will feature:

NBA Legends Pick Up 2005 Larry O'Brien Trophy at Tiffany & Co.:

11:30am ET: The 2005 Destinations Final Tour will officially tip off at Tiffany & Co. on 57th Street and Fifth Avenue where the NBA legends will pick up and unveil the 2005 Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy. The world famous jeweler has made the NBA's coveted trophy every year since 1978.

NBA Destination Finals Parade On Fifth Avenue with Toyota "Trophy-Mobile":

12 noon ET: The NBA legends will celebrate the launch of the Destination Finals Tour by joining in a parade down Fifth Avenue from Tiffany's to the NBA Store in the Toyota Trophy-Mobile, a Toyota Tundra designed specifically for the Destination Finals Tour. The trophy will be prominently featured in the Toyota Trophy-Mobile.

The events featured during the tour will be turned into a new Toyota NBA TV show. In addition to seeing a portion of the events, fans will be able to see behind-the-scenes footage of the legends interacting while traveling in the Toyota Trophy-Mobile, at NBA Playoff games and talking to current players.

NBA Store: NBA Legends Champion Roundtable Discussion:

1 pm ET: The legends will conduct a roundtable discussion, offering analysis and predictions for the 2005 NBA Playoffs and The Finals. The discussion, which will be hosted by NBA TV's Andre Aldridge, will air live on NBA TV. "This tour gives NBA fans the chance to see what all 16 teams are competing for -- the coveted Larry O'Brien Trophy -- while hearing from the legends who know just how hard it is to win it," said Mark Tatum, NBA Vice President, Marketing Partnerships. "The new show on NBA TV will give fans the chance to see the tour develop and get a behind-the-scenes look at the excitement of the NBA Playoffs through the eyes of the greatest players in league history."

"The NBA Playoffs and The Finals are our favorite time of the year -- this is where legacy is created," said NBA legend Bill Russell. "Having the opportunity to travel around the country with the Larry O'Brien Trophy, and sharing this experience with our fans -- makes this even more special."

About the Larry O'Brien NBA Championship Trophy:

The NBA championship trophy was renamed the Larry O'Brien Trophy in 1984 in honor of Commissioner Larry O'Brien who served the league from 1975-84. The trophy replaced the Walter A. Brown Trophy, which was named after the pioneering owner of the Boston Celtics.

The trophy is hand-crafted in sterling silver with 24-karat gold overlay. Overall, the trophy consists of 16 pounds of sterling silver, stands two feet high and features a gold regulation size basketball of nine-inch diameter.

The NBA Jam Van and NBA Rhythm 'n Rims presented by Sprite tours are hitting the road! Log on to http://nba.com/ to find out when they're headed your way. Come Jam with the NBA!

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Source: NBA

CONTACT: Matt Bourne, +1-917-612-5401, mbourne@nba.com, or John Acunto, NBA, +1-917-293-2353, jacunto@nba.com, both of NBA

Web site: http://www.nba.com/

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