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Videos: Insider Access to USA Basketball

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 18:00:00 +0200

Nike Basketball provides an inside look at the training, commitment, pride and innovation that fuels the 2012 USA Men's and Women's basketball teams.

Players featured include: LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Deron Williams, Andre Iguodala, Tyson Chandler, James Harden and Coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Women's players featured include: Diana Taurasi, Tamika Catchings, Sue Bird and Coach Geno Auriemma.

Nike World Basketball Festival 2012 Closes with Event at MNAC in Barcelona

Sat, 28 Jul 2012 03:41:00 +0200

July 24, 2012. Barcelona, Spain – A half-court basketball arena was unprecedentedly set up in the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya (MNAC) for the Nike World Basketball Festival 2012 in Barcelona, Spain. More than a thousand basketball fans celebrated a memorable basketball night with Clyde Drexler, David Robinson and Chris Mullin from the 1992 Dream Team, in addition to LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Andre Iguodala, Anthony Daivs, Carmelo Anthony and James Harden from the 2012 USA Men's Basketball Team.

Chris Paul and Deron Willliams kicked off the five-hour basketball festival with a clinic with 10 young basketball players who participated the Nike Basketball Camp in Andorra earlier this July.

In the Nike+ Basketball Dunk Showcase competition, Rafal 'Lipel' Lipinski won the Regional championship with judges including Dream Team legends Clyde Drexler, David Robinson and Chris Mullin, as well as USA Men's Basketball Team member Andre Iguodala and Anthony Davis.

The Nike 3v3 Spain National Tournament final teams also received exceptional coaching from the 1992 Dream Team legends and two USA Basketball Team players Carmelo Anthony and James Harden. Clyde Drexler, David Robinson and Chris Mullin coached POPLITEOS from Madrid who won the U25 championship. NOBECATS from Barcelona won the U18 championshipguided by Anthony and Harden.

LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Kevin Durant appeared at the finale of the 2012 Nike World Basketball Festival and awarded the championship teams and interacted with the fans in MNAC.

Barcelona was the final stop in the 2012 Nike World Basketball Festival which reached fans and young athletes from around the world. Originally created in 2010 as a celebration of the performance and culture of the game, the Nike World Basketball Festival 2012 expands to bring energy to the basketball communities in Barcelona, after London, Paris, Washington, D.C.

USA Men’s Basketball Team Members Debut NIKEiD Shoes

Mon, 23 Jul 2012 22:08:00 +0200

The USA Men's Basketball team debuted customized NIKEiD shoes as they defeated Argentina in an exhibition game on July 22. The team wore USA-inspired designs across several styles as part of the Nike World Basketball Festival 2012 in Barcelona, Spain.

LeBron James, along with many of his teammates, wore the new Nike Hyperdunk+ iD, a shoe enabled with Nike+ Basketball technology.

Kobe Bryant wore the Zoom Kobe VII System iD and Kevin Durant wore the KD IV iD, both customized in red, white and blue.

These styles and a multitude of others can be customized at NIKEiD.com.

Nike Hyperdunk+ iD can be found here.

Nike Kobe VII System iD can be found here.

Nike KDIV iD can be found here.

The USA Men's Basketball Team In Barcelona For Nike World Basketball Festival 2012

Sat, 21 Jul 2012 19:22:00 +0200

The USA Men´s Basketball team arrived Friday in Barcelona for training and exhibition games from July 20 – 25 and to be part of the Nike World Basketball Festival 2012, to train and prepare for a summer of competition.

The Magic Mountain of Montjuïc with the National Museum of Catalan Art (MNAC) in the background was chosen as the setting to photograph the team upon arrival in Barcelona.

Men picture #1 from left to right: James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Love, Tyson Chandler and Andre Iguodala.

Men picture #2 from left to right: Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis, Kevin Love, Kobe Bryant, Deron Williams, James Harden, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Durant, Tyson Chandler and LeBron James.

With Barcelona being the USA team's final stop of the 2012 USA Basketball National Team tour and the Nike World Basketball Festival 2012, the team seemed confident to repeat the successes of the Dream Team.

At the unique basketball setting of MNAC, fans can enjoy the games of 3vs3 “Museum finals,” Nike+ Slam Dunk contest, with national team athletes from USA and Spain.

The 2012 USA Basketball National Team tour and the Nike World Basketball Festival 2012 will be closing out with two games that will feature the top three FIBA-ranked basketball world powers. The USA Men's National team will play against Argentina on July 22 (21:30 p.m. local time) and Spain on July 24 (21:30 p.m. local time) at the Palau Sant Jordi.

USA Basketball Men’s and Women’s National Teams Defeat Brazil

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 19:36:00 +0200

Celebrating the pride and passion of the Washington, D.C. basketball community, the Nike World Basketball Festival 2012 continued in the nation’s capital. Behind LeBron James and his 30 points, the USA Basketball Men's National Team beat Brazil 80-69 on Monday night in an exhibition game in front of a sold-out crowd of 20,390. The USA Basketball Women’s National Team, behind Lindsay Whalen's 21 points, had defeated Brazil 99-67 earlier in the evening.

President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden attended the men's game, which was the team’s final exhibition game in the U.S. before they head abroad to play games in Manchester and Barcelona.

During the Nike World Basketball Festival 2012 members of USA Basketball's Men’s and Women’s National Teams competed and participated in youth skills clinics and community events throughout the world to celebrate the game of basketball. As part of USA Basketball's Hoops for Troops program, approximately 3,500 members of the military and their families attended Saturday's USA Basketball Men's National Team practice.

USA Men's and Women's Basketball Teams Photographed at Nike WBF

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 16:00:00 +0200

As the USA Men’s and Women’s teams train and prepare, they visited Washington, D.C. as part of the Nike World Basketball Festival 2012. Marking their last stop in the United States before heading abroad to Manchester, Barcelona and ultimately London, the teams have joined with Nike to celebrate the performance and culture of basketball.

Men pictured from left to right: Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Andre Iguodala, Chris Paul, Kevin Love, Anthony Davis and Deron Williams.

Women pictured from left to right: Angel McCoughtry, Lindsay Whalen, Seimone Augustus, Candace Parker, Sylvia Fowles, Tamika Catchings, Sue Bird, Diana Taurasi, Maya Moore, Tina Charles, Asjha Jones, Swin Cash and Coach Geno Auriemma.

These photos have been digitally adjusted.

Team New York Defeats Team Los Angeles in Nike City Tournament of Champions

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 07:00:00 +0200

Representing the basketball prowess of their respective city, a Nike League featuring teams from Chicago, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles and New York concluded with the championship game on Sunday, July 15. New York defeated Los Angeles 72-70 in front of a packed crowd at the D.C. Armory as part of the Nike Global Basketball Festival 2012.

Comprised of top players from the four cities, the Nike City Tournament includes a range of players, many currently playing professional basketball overseas.

Washington, D.C. native and best-selling artist Wale performed at halftime in front of a packed crowd at the D.C. Armory during the tournament semifinals Saturday, July 14.

Originally created in 2010 as a celebration of the performance and culture of the game, World Basketball Festival 2012 brings energy not only to the basketball community in Washington D.C., but also London, Paris and Barcelona.

Justin Darlington Wins Regional NIKE+ Basketball Dunk Showcase at Nike WBF 2012

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 06:00:00 +0200

The Nike+ Basketball Dunk Showcase, open to participants internationally this summer, began with a powerful opening as Justin “Jus Fly” Darlington won the regional championship with judges including USA Basketball players LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Diana Taurasi. Darlington, a native of Ontario, Canada, won on a prolific final dunk with vertical jump of 43 inches.

Over the course of the summer, 16 finalists will advance, but only one will be crowned the inaugural champion. In addition to on-the-ground challenges taking place at Nike World Basketball Festival 2012 sites in London, Paris, Washington, D.C. and Barcelona, consumers who purchase the Nike Hyperdunk+ will have the chance to enter seven weekly on-line challenges. Each week, a professional Nike Basketball player will call on players worldwide to enter, players include:

July 14:           DeMar DeRozan (Creative Dunk Challenge)
July 23:           Scottie Pippen (Teammate Dunk Challenge)
July 30:           Rudy Gay (Re-Enactment Dunk Challenge)
August 6:        Paul George (Self Alley-Oop Dunk Challenge)
August 13:      Nick Young (Prop Dunk Challenge)
August 20:      Klay Thompson (Vertical Dunk Challenge)
August 27:      Tyson Chandler (Destination Dunk Challenge)

Nike+ Basketball measures how high, how hard and how quick players compete. Players competing in the Nike+ Basketball Dunk Showcase must wear the Nike Hyperdunk+ shoe, which is connected to the Nike+ Basketball mobile application. After recording a Showcase Mode video within the Nike+ Basketball app, consumers will then upload their dunks to YouTube and submit them via the Game On, World site.

United States

United Kingdom

Each week, the pro athlete that issued the challenge will announce the winner, who will win a spot in the final 16. The five remaining finalists will be chosen during Live Dunk Showcases at the Festival of Sport in China (August 23) and in Berlin (August 27), as well as wild cards from the United States, Europe and China. Lebron James will be the official judge for the Nike+ Global Dunk Showcase Finals.

The Nike Hyperdunk+ is now available at NikeStore.com and Nike retailers in the U.S., UK, France, Germany, and mainland China.

Team USA Midwest Wins Nike Global Challenge Championship in Washington, D.C.

Mon, 16 Jul 2012 05:30:00 +0200

Celebrating international basketball in the nation’s capital, the 2012 Nike Global Challenge concluded with USA Midwest prevailing over Canada as part of Nike World Basketball Festival 2012. Led by James Young of Troy, Michigan (Troy High School), and his 29 points and 10 rebounds, team USA Midwest won 100-86.

Held in Washington, D.C. at Episcopal High School and the D.C. Armory, this eight-team, 16-game tournament began on July 13 and concluded with the championship on Sunday, July 15. Featuring top amateur basketball players from elite international teams throughout the world, the Nike Global Challenge began in 2007 with several alumni playing on pro teams both in the U.S. and internationally.

The international teams participating included Under-18 teams from Brasil, Canada, China, Lithuania and Puerto Rico. This is the third consecutive year that Canada advanced to the tournament championship.

2012 Nike Global Challenge International and US All-Tournament Teams

International All-Tournament Team
Andrew Wiggins, Canada (Co-MVP)
Trey Lyles, Canada (Co-MVP)
Dereke Reese, Puerto Rico
Justas Tamulis, Lithuania
Deryk Evandro Ramos, Brasil
Gao Shang, China

US All-Tournament Team
James Young, USA Midwest (MVP)
Theo Pinson, USA East
Troy Williams, USA East
Nigel Williams-Goss, USA West
Sindarius Thornwell, USA West
Bobby Portis, USA Midwest

The U.S.-based Nike Global Challenge players participated in positional skills camps in Chicago hosted by several pro basketball superstars including Deron Williams, Kevin Durant and Amar’e Stoudemire. The journey for these young players continued to Las Vegas as they participated in the LeBron James US Skills Academy. The top 30 players from the spring and summer circuits then made up the three regional teams to representing the United States in this tournament.

Played under FIBA rules, the Nike Global Challenge is a key component in Nike’s summer series of youth skills academies aimed to broaden and elevate basketball globally. For more information on the Nike Global Challenge visit www.nikeglobalchallenge.com.

Nike and USAB Host Military Troops and Families at World Basketball Festival

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 06:45:00 +0200

In front of a packed crowd at the DC Armory, Nike World Basketball Festival 2012 continued with “Hoops for Troops.” Both the USA Men’s and Women’s basketball teams entertained fans with skills clinic instruction and a practice that brought fans to their feet.

Kicking off with an introduction from USA Women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma, the day began with the USA Women’s basketball players and coaches who hosted a clinic for daughters of the troops. The girls learned skills for shooting, ball handling, passing and perimeter moves.

The day continued with a USA Men’s basketball team practice in front of the approximately 4,000 military troops and family guests in attendance at the DC Armory. Led by USA Men’s Coach Mike Krzyzewski, the men’s team including LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and their teammates went through a practice. The team is preparing to face Brazil on July 16th in an exhibition game as part of Nike World Basketball Festival 2012.

Converse Block Party Held During World Basketball Festival 2012

Sun, 15 Jul 2012 05:37:00 +0200

On Saturday, July 14, 2012, Converse hosted a Converse Block Party at Banneker Community Center in Washington, D.C. to celebrate local street culture through basketball, music, and art. The event was held in conjunction with the launch of the newest Converse Pro Leather during the World Basketball Festival 2012.

Community members were invited to participate in pickup basketball games, t-shirt customization, food from local vendors, and enjoy live music performances from Converse Rubber Tracks Tanya Morgan and Fresh Daily and rapper Stalley and R&B singer The-Dream.

To commemorate World Basketball Festival 2012, Converse launched a limited edition Pro Leather WBF footwear collection. The Converse Pro Leather WBF collection offers six footwear styles with a city abbreviation next to the classic Converse Star Chevron logo, highlighting the cities around the world that will participate in this year’s World Basketball Festival 2012 events.

The World Basketball Festival 2012 is a four-day celebration of the performance and culture of the game of basketball held by NIKE Inc., in collaboration with basketball’s leading brands within the NIKE Inc. portfolio – Converse, Jordan Brand and Nike Basketball.

For more information on the Converse Pro Leather WBF collection, visit: http://www.nikeinc.com/converse/news/converse-launches-pro-leather-world-basketball-festival-collection

World Basketball Festival 2012 Kicks Off in Washington, D.C.

Sat, 14 Jul 2012 18:00:00 +0200

The Barry Farms neighborhood in Southeast Washington, D.C. has a longstanding reputation for its competitive basketball. On Friday, July 13, the legend grew with a competitive game between Team Nike (New York) versus Goodman League (Washington, D.C.), acting as a kickoff to the World Basketball Festival 2012 stop in Washington, D.C. The hometown Goodman League pulled out a 113-110 victory over Team Nike.

With a surprise visit by hometown star Kevin Durant and his teammate James Harden under the Friday night lights, the Barry Farms based Goodman League is named after community activist George Goodman. Since it began in the 1970’s the league has featured current and former pro and collegiate stars.

To assist the Barry Farms neighborhood, Nike also unveiled a new premium court and stadium-style bleachers. The new Nike court features a resilient surface suitable for all-weather play that will be a centerpiece of the Barry Farms community for years to come.

World Basketball Festival 2012 celebrates the Washington, D.C. basketball community, while also visiting international locations including Paris, Barcelona and London. During the World Basketball Festival 2012 members of the USA Basketball Men’s and Women’s National Teams will train, compete and participate in youth skills clinics and community events.

Nike, Inc. and USA Basketball Announce World Basketball Festival 2012

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 20:00:00 +0200

BEAVERTON, OR (July 2, 2012) – This summer, NIKE, Inc. and USA Basketball take center court, in collaboration with basketball’s leading brands within the NIKE, Inc. portfolio – Converse, Jordan Brand and Nike Basketball, with the return of the World Basketball Festival. Originally created in 2010 as a celebration of the performance and culture of the game, World Basketball Festival 2012 will expand to bring energy to the basketball communities in London, Paris, Washington, D.C. and Barcelona.

World Basketball Festival 2012 will feature members of the 2012 USA Basketball Men’s and Women’s National Teams in Washington, D.C., from July 13-16, as they train, compete and participate in youth skills clinics and community events including basketball court refurbishments on behalf of NIKE, Inc. and USA Basketball. In addition, select members from the 1992 USA Basketball Dream Team and each local country’s national team, high school and streetball players will make appearances and participate in various activities throughout the tour.

“We are pleased to bring the World Basketball Festival to basketball communities around the world,” said Charlie Denson, President, Nike Brand. “As basketball continues to grow on the global stage, this event allows us to celebrate the rich basketball heritage that is shared by Nike, Jordan and Converse while giving young players and fans a chance to see their basketball heroes and cheer them on as they prepare for London.”

USA Basketball will host more than 3,000 military personnel and their families at events in Washington, D.C. through Hoops for Troops

On Saturday, July 14, USA Basketball, as part of its Hoops for Troops program, will host a men’s team open practice and women’s team basketball and fitness clinic for military personnel and their families at the Washington, D.C. Armory. Hoops for Troops is the global social responsibility program for USA Basketball that works to provide support for the United States military personnel and their families through programs, events and partnerships.

The Armory space will also pay homage to basketball’s heritage and specifically the 20th Anniversary of the 1992 USA Basketball Dream Team, showcasing historic footwear and apparel memorabilia. Nike has developed the ‘20 years of USA Basketball Exhibition’ which will present a retrospective look at 20 shoes that changed the game beginning with the Air Max 180 Mid worn by Charles Barkley in Barcelona. In addition to being on display in Washington, D.C., the exhibition will also be on display in Barcelona from July 20-24.

“This is an important year for USA Basketball, as we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the 1992 USA Basketball Dream Team, the team that helped grow basketball into a global phenomenon,” said Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball Chairman. “We are proud to partner with Nike for the return of the World Basketball Festival, as we share the history of USA Basketball and share the excitement of our game with fans in London, Paris, Washington, D.C. and Barcelona.”

Converse will host a Block Party to celebrate the urban spirit of the Converse Pro Leather and local street culture.

In that same spirit of providing all-important access to sport and basketball culture, Converse will host a Block Party to celebrate the urban spirit of the Converse Pro Leather and local street culture. This global event series, rooted in basketball, music and art, will also hit New York, Philadelphia and Los Angeles this summer.

To cap off the festival in Washington, D.C., on Monday, July 16, the 2012 USA Basketball Men’s and Women’s National Teams will match-up against their counterparts from Brazil. The women’s game will tip-off at 5:30 p.m. EDT at the Verizon Center, followed by the men at 8:00 p.m. EDT.

Nike+ Basketball will also help to share the World Basketball Festival 2012 experience with the rest of the world digitally.

Nike+ Basketball breaks down the user’s game to deliver information and measurement, which in turn provides motivation. Nike+ Basketball measures how high, how hard and how quick players play each game. A number of competitors will be wearing the Nike Hyperdunk+ shoe, which is connected to the Nike+ Basketball mobile application, enabling them to share in-game highlights with the masses via social media, including statistics such as “vertical jump” and video of their best moves in “Showcase” mode.

World Basketball Festival tipped off in London on June 30th. Brixton in South London, the heartland of British Hoops, played host to a celebration of both the game and culture of basketball that featured exclusive appearances from basketball heroes Luol Deng and Scottie Pippen, the public debut of Nike+ Basketball and a soundtrack supplied by Big Boi, Dot Rotten and Angel.

The Paris portion of World Basketball Festival 2012 will provide local basketball youth with an opportunity to take part in basketball clinics on Nike built courts at the Cite Universitaire Internationale from July 12-16. On July 14, the French national team will make an appearance and interact with fans. French fans will have an opportunity to showcase their support for the team on July 15 during France’s game versus Spain game that will be shown on a giant screen at 2:30 p.m.

World Basketball Festival 2012 will conclude its tour in Barcelona July 20-24th by paying tribute to one of the best teams in sports history – the 1992 USA Basketball Dream Team and their debut twenty years ago. With a unique setting at MNAC, the basketball fans can enjoy the games of 3vs3 “Museum finals”, as well as opportunities to meet select players from the 1992 Dream Team, 2012 USA Basketball Men’s National Team and Spain’s teams. During the five days, the USA Basketball Men’s National Team will take part in two games that will feature the top three FIBA-ranked basketball world powers. USA Basketball will face Argentina on July 22 (9:30 p.m. local time) and play against Spain on July 24 (9:30 p.m. local time) at the Palau Sant Jordi, closing-out of World Basketball Festival 2012.

World Basketball Festival 2012 will make the following stops:

June 30th, London, UK http://www.nikeinc.com/news/world-basketball-festival-comes-to-south-london

July 12 – 16th, Paris, France http://www.nikeinc.com/news/world-basketball-festival-comes-to-paris

July 13 – 16th, Washington, D.C., USA

July 20 – 24th, Barcelona, Spain

Jordan Brand Celebrates World Basketball Festival

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 18:11:00 +0200

With World Basketball Festival 2012 ramping up, Jordan Brand is dropping JORDAN SUPER.FLY and AIR JORDAN 1 RETRO City Packs for the stops in Las Vegas, Washington, D.C. and Barcelona.

The ‘Las Vegas’ colorways takes their cue from the attire worn by famous performers of Las Vegas’ early days who wore black jackets with satin linings, crisp white shirts and red ties. The JORDAN SUPER.FLY and the AIR JORDAN 1 RETRO HIGH ‘Las Vegas’ will be available on Saturday, July 7.

‘Dress blues’ were the inspiration for the ‘D.C.’ colorways, mimicking the uniform and medals of a decorated officer. The JORDAN SUPER.FLY and AIR JORDAN 1 RETRO HIGH ‘D.C.’ will be available on Saturday, July 14, when World Basketball Festival 2012 makes it stop in Washington, D.C.

World Basketball Festival 2012 will conclude its tour in Barcelona, paying tribute to one of the best teams in sports history. The JORDAN SUPER.FLY and AIR JORDAN 1 KO HI ‘Barcelona’ were inspired by a famous painting of a Spanish bullfighter and will be available on Saturday, July 21.

Converse Launches Pro Leather World Basketball Festival Collection

Mon, 02 Jul 2012 15:02:00 +0200

NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. (Monday, July 2, 2012) – On Sunday, July 1, 2012, Converse launched a limited edition Pro Leather World Basketball Festival (WBF) footwear collection to support World Basketball Festival 2012 held this July 13-16.

The World Basketball Festival 2012 is a four-day celebration of the performance and culture of the game of basketball held by NIKE Inc., in collaboration with basketball’s leading brands within the NIKE Inc. portfolio – Converse, Jordan Brand and Nike Basketball. This year, World Basketball Festival 2012 will expand to bring energy to the basketball communities in London, Paris, Washington, D.C. and Barcelona.

The Converse Pro Leather WBF collection offers six footwear styles available in grey, red and pink suede and black premium perforated leather with pops of blue, orange and pink. Each shoe features a city abbreviation next to the classic Converse Star Chevron logo, highlighting the cities around the world that will participate in this year’s World Basketball Festival 2012 events.

In celebration of the Pro Leather launch, Converse will host a series of Converse Block Party events this summer in Washington D.C., New York City, Philadelphia and Los Angeles, to commemorate the urban spirit of the Pro Leather and celebrate local street culture, basketball, music and art.

The Pro Leather WBF styles are available for a suggested retail price of $75 at Kicks USA in Philadelphia, Shiekh Shoes in Los Angeles, Shoe City in Washington D.C. and on www.converse.com.

Check out Converse Block Party events coming to a city near you:
Washington, D.C.                                 Saturday, July 14
New York City                                      Saturday, July 21 & 28
Philadelphia                                         Saturday, August 4
Los Angeles                                         Saturday, August 18

For more information on World Basketball Festival visit http://www.nikeinc.com/news/nike-inc-and-usa-basketball-announce-world-basketball-festival-2012

About Converse
Converse Inc., based in N. Andover, Massachusetts, is a wholly owned subsidiary of NIKE, Inc. Established in 1908, the Converse brand has built a reputation as “America’s Original Sports Company”™ and has been associated with a rich heritage of legendary shoes such as the Chuck Taylor® All Star® shoe, the Jack Purcell® shoe and the One Star® shoe. Today, Converse offers a diverse portfolio including lifestyle men's, women's and children’s footwear, apparel and accessories. Converse product is sold globally by retailers in over 160 countries and through 63 company-owned retail locations in the U.S. For more information visit www.converse.com.

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Press Contacts:

Lacy Pica
Converse
646.563.7830 / Lacy.Pica@converse.com

Steve Dool
exposure
646.895.7009/ steve.dool@exposure.net