NBA to run in first-ever All-Star Relay at New York City Marathon
The NBA and New York Road Runners announced Monday that they are partnering for the first-ever All-Star Relay at this year's New York City Marathon.
The event will see NBA and WNBA personalities paired with students from the NYRR's youth running programs. Twenty-four pairings will run legs of the 26.2-mile route that begins in Staten Island and goes through Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan and the Bronx before finishing in Central Park.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver will run the opening leg of the marathon over the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and into Brooklyn, and Dikembe Mutombo, former NBA center and current global ambassador for the league, will run the last leg.
The marathon takes place Nov. 2. The All-Star Relay is part of a series of youth fitness-related basketball events the NBA will put on leading up to the 2015 All-Star Game, which is being hosted by New York and will be played at Madison Square Garden.
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"Inspiring young people to enjoy fun, fitness-related activities is a goal shared by the NBA and New York Road Runners,” Silver said in a press release. “And hosting NBA All-Star in New York City this season gives us an unprecedented opportunity to partner with Mary and NYRR to bring that message directly to all five boroughs. I look forward to participating in the marathon relay and working with NYRR to promote healthy living for all New Yorkers."
NYRR, one of the world's largest community running groups, puts on the New York City Marathon. CEO Mary Wittenberg said the organization is "thrilled" to partner with the NBA.
Other notable participants in the relay include broadcasters Greg Anthony and Mike Breen, New York Liberty forward Swin Cash, former Brooklyn Nets center Jason Collins and former New York Knicks players Allan Houston, Charles Oakley and Bernard King.
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The 2014-15 NBA season begins Tuesday with three games, including the defending champion San Antonio Spurs hosting the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Houston Rockets.
- Ben Estes
