Category: Brooklyn Nets Blog

The Prudential Center in Newark, N.J., has been selected to host the 2011 NBA Draft, scheduled for June 23, 2011, NBA Commissioner David Stern, Chairman and Managing Partner, Devils Arena Entertainment, Jeff Vanderbeek, and the Honorable Cory A. Booker, Mayor for the City of Newark, announced today at the Prudential Center before the New Jersey Nets’ home opener against the Detroit Pistons.

This marks the second time the NBA Draft is being held in New Jersey.

“We are delighted to bring one of the NBA’s premier events to Newark,” said Stern. “The Prudential Center is a state-of-the-art, multi-purpose arena that will be a great host for another exciting NBA Draft.”

“Hosting the draft is further affirmation of Prudential Center as a home for the NBA,” said Vanderbeek.  “In fact, this season the Rock will host more basketball games at the NBA, WNBA and college levels than all but two other arenas, Madison Square Garden and STAPLES Center.”

“Newark, New Jersey, is a basketball City,” said Mayor Booker.  “We are proud and honored to host one of basketball’s most significant annual events here in the Prudential Center. It will be a fantastic event, in our great City, helping to wrap up what is expected to be a tremendous year of basketball in Newark.”

The NBA Draft became a public event in 1979, and was held in various venues in New York City through 1991. It was held in Portland in 1992, followed by Detroit (1993), Indianapolis (1994), Toronto (1995), East Rutherford, N.J. (1996), Charlotte (1997), Vancouver (1998), and Washington D.C. (1999).

The Prudential Center, which opened Oct. 25, 2007, is located in downtown Newark and is the temporary home of New Jersey Nets. It also is the home arena of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and Seton Hall University’s Men’s Basketball.

The Theater at Madison Square Garden, which has hosted the NBA Draft for the last several years, is unavailable to hold this year’s Draft due to the ongoing transformation of Madison Square Garden.

Today Stolichnaya, a pioneer in the flavored vodka category, and Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment, the sales and marketing arm of the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, announced that Stolichnaya is embarking as a Founding Partner in a five-year alliance with the Barclays Center, the planned state-of-the-art sports and entertainment venue, and with NETS Basketball. The opening of the Barclays Center in late spring/early summer of 2012 will mark the return of major professional sports to Brooklyn for the first time since 1957, and Stoli will become the official vodka partner of the Barclays Center.

“This partnership represents Stoli’s first long-term foray into professional sports and we look forward to an exciting and successful partnership with the Barclays Center and NETS Basketball,” said Andrey Skurikhin, Partner at SPI Group, the Stolichnaya brand owner. “Stoli is a pioneering brand in the spirits industry and celebrates the same spirit of innovation that characterizes the development of the Barclays Center and the revitalization of the NETS. We look forward to engaging with our consumers in this much anticipated, exciting new venue.”

“We are thrilled to become partners with the most innovative and historic brand in the spirits industry,” said Brett Yormark, president and CEO of Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment. “The Barclays Center continues to align with renowned companies which seek to build their brands in the heart of world commerce. Stoli has made a major commitment to the Barclays Center and we look forward to building its brand with a year-round marketing platform.”

As part of the agreement with the Barclays Center, Stoli will receive numerous entitlements, including category exclusive branding throughout the new arena and the branding of six bars.