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Press Release -- August 22nd, 2011
Source: Sprint Nextel
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Boost Mobile and WNBA Form First-Ever League-wide Marquee Partnership

Landmark multiyear partnership will see a comprehensive Boost Mobile presence across the league, including game jerseys, arenas and national game broadcasts

“WNBA Top 15 Moments presented by Boost Mobile” will allow fans to select the top moments in league history on WNBA.com and include a special program on NBA TV

NEW YORK & IRVINE, Calif. (BUSINESS WIRE), August 22, 2011 – The Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Boost Mobile, an industry leader in no-contract wireless service, announced a landmark multiyear marketing partnership that will make Boost Mobile the first league-wide marquee partner of the WNBA.

As the marquee partner of the WNBA, Boost Mobile will be the league’s most prominent marketing partner and will be tied closely to the WNBA brand on a national level. As the official wireless services partner of the league, Boost Mobile will be featured through WNBA national and local marketing activities throughout the life of the partnership.

As part of this partnership, the Boost Mobile brand will be prominently featured on the front of the game jerseys of 10 WNBA teams, including Atlanta Dream, Chicago Sky, Connecticut Sun, Indiana Fever, Los Angeles Sparks, Minnesota Lynx, New York Liberty, Seattle Storm, Tulsa Shock, and Washington Mystics. The jerseys, which will debut in games tomorrow night, will mark the first time the WNBA has had a league partner with jersey branding with multiple WNBA teams throughout the season other than adidas, the league’s official outfitter. Boost Mobile will also have a strong presence in these 10 teams’ arenas, where its brand will be displayed on courts and pole pads.

Additionally, special programming highlighting the “WNBA’s Top 15 Moments presented by Boost Mobile” will be included as part of the league’s 15th season celebration. All 15 moments will be featured during an NBA TV special presentation that will air on Aug. 26. They also will be highlighted during select WNBA national game broadcasts, and will be featured on a special microsite on WNBA.com. Fans will be able to rank their favorite moments from Aug. 23 to Sept. 13. The top five greatest moments will be counted down during the WNBA Finals broadcast beginning Oct. 2.

“The WNBA is the premier women’s professional sports league in the country with a loyal and diverse fan base that is an ideal match for the Boost Mobile brand,” said Steve Gaffney, vice president-Corporate Marketing, Boost Mobile. “The assets this partnership provides are unprecedented, giving Boost Mobile the ability to maximize the value of the partnership and market our nationwide no-contract wireless service to a key customer base in major metropolitan areas across the country.”

“An award-winning and dynamic brand such as Boost Mobile is a great fit as the WNBA’s marquee partner,” said WNBA President Laurel J. Richie. “The WNBA and Boost Mobile are two prominent brands and this groundbreaking relationship will provide both our fans and Boost Mobile’s customers a great platform from which to be heard. Our partnership is a watershed moment for the WNBA, one that underscores the tremendous growth of our league and women’s basketball over the past 15 years.”

Additionally, Boost Mobile will have an integrated presence throughout courtside signage and in-game advertisements during national game telecasts, along with a variety of in-game promotions, prominent exposure on WNBA.com and NBA.com, and inclusion in WNBA social media channels.

Boost Mobile will also be the presenting partner of the WNBA Playoffs and WNBA Finals. Beginning next year, Boost Mobile will be the title partner of WNBA All-Star, the presenting partner of WNBA Tip-Off and WNBA All-Star balloting, an associate partner at the WNBA Draft, and will be prominently featured within the WNBA-specific area of NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by adidas each year.

Boost Mobile, ranked Highest in Customer Service Performance and Purchase Experience among non-contract wireless providers by J.D. Power and Associates1, offers no-contract wireless phones and service, including the $50 Monthly Unlimited Plan with Shrinkage, where the longer you stay, the less you pay. For every six on-time payments, a customer’s monthly cost will shrink by $5, eventually getting down to as low as $35 a month for unlimited nationwide talk, text, Web, email, and calls to 411.

About Boost Mobile

Boost Mobile, one of Sprint’s prepaid brands, offers nationwide service on the Nationwide Sprint Network, reaching more than 278 million people, and on the Nextel National Network, reaching more than 278 million people, with no activation or long-distance fees. Boost Mobile offers a selection of quality handsets from Motorola, Sanyo, Research In Motion (RIM) and Samsung, ranging from entry-level to high-end devices available nationwide at nearly 20,000 major retail stores, including Best Buy, RadioShack, Target, Family Dollar and Walmart, Sprint retail stores, independent wireless dealer locations, and on HSN, a leading TV home shopping network. Re-Boost® cards are available at approximately 100,000 locations throughout the United States. Experience Boost Mobile on the Web at MySpace, Facebook and Twitter; and purchase products at www.boostmobile.com.

About the WNBA

The WNBA – which features 12 teams and is the most successful women’s professional team sports league in the world – is a unique global sports property combining competition, sportsmanship, and entertainment value with its status as an icon for social change, achievement, and diversity. Following a 2010 season that included a fourth consecutive year of attendance growth, surging WNBA Finals ratings, and strong increases in traffic to WNBA.com and WNBA Mobile sites, the league tipped off its historic 15th season on June 3.

Through WNBA Cares, the WNBA is deeply committed to creating programs that improve the quality of life for all people, with a special emphasis on programs that promote a healthy lifestyle and positive body image, increase breast and women’s health awareness, support youth and family development, and focus on education. For more information on the WNBA, log on to www.wnba.com.

1 Boost Mobile received the highest numerical score among non-contract wireless providers in the proprietary J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Wireless Customer Care Performance and Wireless Purchase Experience Satisfaction StudiesSM – Vol. 2. Customer Care based on responses from 8,154 consumers measuring 4 providers and measures opinions of consumers who contacted customer care within the past year. Purchase Experience based on responses from 9,190 consumers measuring 6 providers and measures opinions of consumers who purchased a wireless product or service within the last 6 months. Proprietary study results are based on experiences and perceptions of consumers surveyed Jan.-Jun. 2011. Your experiences may vary. Visit jdpower.com

Contact(s):

NBA
Carmine N. Tiso, 212-407-8208
ctiso@nba.com
or
WNBA
Dina Skokos, 212-407-8840
dskokos@nba.com
or
Boost Mobile
Dave Mellin, 720-420-6728
dave.mellin@sprint.com

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