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The NBA has teamed up with Australian basketball icon and former NBA star of the San Antonio Spurs, Andrew Gaze, to bring NBA Madness to Melbourne on October 9 & 10 at the Melbourne Sports and Aquatic Center (MSAC).

Joining Andrew Gaze for the event will be NBA All-Star Detlef Schrempf, Luc Longley (winner of 3 NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls), Shane Heal (played with both Minnesota T'Wolves and San Antonio Spurs and current captain of the Australian Boomers), Michelle Timms (WNBA All-Star and an icon of women’s basketball in Australia) and some of the best players from the NBL and WNBL. Complimenting the basketball talent will be live performances from some of Australia’s leading hip-hop acts including Rudy, Soul District and Israel.

NBA Madness is the NBA's lifestyle and grass-roots event which brings fans the excitement of the NBA through a combination of basketball activities (such as skills contests, 3 on 3, shooting and slam dunk competitions), music, video and e-games. The weekend will also feature basketball presentations, lectures and chances to buy the latest NBA merchandise from the NBA superstore at the event.

The Melbourne Madness event is being co-organized by Australian Basketball Resources (ABR), a company founded by Andrew Gaze to provide young Australians with top quality education, services and equipment.

"This whole event began with the idea staging a celebration of the sport of basketball, to get people excited about the upcoming NBL and NBA seasons," said Andrew Gaze. "Support and passion for hoops in Australia is enormous and we want to get as many people through the doors of MSAC as possible over the 2 days, give them a great experience and get them all excited about the greatest game in the world!"

“Basketball in Australia is a lot stronger than people realize”, said Phil Hayes-Brown, Senior Director of Business Development at NBA Asia. “The Australian Junior Men’s team are world champions and the Australian women just won silver at the Olympics. The NBA has a long history of supporting the growth of the sport in Australia and we’re delighted to be back again in this new partnership with the Andrew Gaze team.”

Everyone is invited to take part in NBA MADNESS from 10 am to 5 PM Saturday October 9 and from 9:30 am to 4 PM Sunday October 10. Admission is FREE. Presenting partners for NBA Madness include Gatorade, adidas, Spalding with media support and coverage by Fox Sports.

Since its founding in 1946, the NBA has truly become a global phenomenon that transcends national boundaries. With 30 teams in the United States and Canada, NBA games and related programming are broadcast to 212 countries in 42 languages; they are one of the largest suppliers of sports television and Internet programming in the world. The NBA is a recognized leader in global sports marketing with 13 offices around the world.