G League Texas Legends

Texas Legends Partner with Hewlett Packard to Build a Bridge to China

Published on October 5, 2010 under NBA G League (G League)
Texas Legends News Release


FRISCO, TX - The Texas Legends and Hewlett Packard have partnered to build a bridge to China, and now, a co-owner will help that cause. The franchise has announced earlier today that the Chinese-born Sonny Xiao purchased a minority ownership of the Legends.

The Legends and Hewlett-Packard have agreed to brand the center circle with the HP logo, deeming the court "HP Court at Dr Pepper Arena." The branding of the center circle on the court is the first of its kind in the NBA's 64-year history. Furthermore, the utilization of the Mavericks logo marks the first time a team in the NBA or NBA D-League has placed a logo inside the free throw circle.

"The Legends are proud to team up with Hewlett Packard in this ground breaking event," Legends co-owner Donnie Nelson commented. "They're truly innovative global leaders that understand the value of relationships whether it's employees here in North Texas or partners from China and abroad."

The ground-breaking partnership with Hewlett Packard was spearheaded by Vice President of Human Resources Shawn Williams. The partnership represents a unique engagement of Hewlett Packard employees.

"I am thrilled to announce this partnership with North Texas' newest sports franchise, the Texas Legends," Williams stated. "This is an investment in our employees, and in our North Texas footprint as it is one of the largest in our global operation. It will be a pleasure for our employees to be able to attend games at 'HP Court'."

In conjunction with the Hewlett Packard partnership, the Legends also announced a relationship with China as they become the first team under the NBA flag with Chinese-born ownership.

"The first Chinese born NBA player started his career in Dallas a decade ago," Nelson added. "Since that historic event North Texas and China have enjoyed a unique sporting relationship. Sonny has been instrumental in these bridge-building efforts. We are happy and proud to welcome an old friend into the Legends family."

Xiao strengthens the Legends international ties and brings a wealth of experience to the franchise

"Donnie and Del have been friends for years," Xiao commented. "When Donnie approached me with the ownership opportunity I was extremely excited. Today, I am honored to officially become a part of the Hewlett-Packard-Legends family and looking forward to building the Legends global presence. North Texas and China have historically been strong commercial partners. We all know relationships are everything in sports and in business. I'm excited about taking that relationship to the next level."

Xiao joins Donnie Nelson and Evan Wyly as co-owners of the NBA Development League's only expansion team this coming season. Xiao fortifies what is already a flagship franchise in the NBA D-League as the Legends are among the league leaders in both sponsorships and ticket sales. The Legends recently announced the sale of their 30,000th ticket, as well as the sale of all Center Club Premium seats.

"We are excited to have Hewlett Packard join us as a partner, and Sonny join our ownership group," Wyly added. "We hope that our basketball relationships with China will develop into new business relationships with China for our community. Texas is a hub for world trade and has led the United States in exports for eight consecutive years according to the US International Trade Administration. Over the last five years Texas exports to China rose 80 percent. Computers and electronics were Texas' most important exports. In addition to large businesses like HP, small to mid-sized companies also benefit from international trade, accounting for 32 percent of Texas' exports. The Texas Governor's Office estimates that foreign investment from Asia has been creating over 2,400 Texas jobs per year. According to Business Roundtable, about 2.2 million Texas jobs are linked to international trade. We'd like to help our local community participate actively in the increasingly global economy."

One Legend who already has extensive knowledge of basketball in China is general manager Del Harris. Harris served as coach of the Chinese national men's team, leading the Chinese to a victory over Serbia and Montenegro in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

"I am proud to be able to call Sonny a part of the Legends family," Legends General Manager Del Harris commented. "My experience with Sonny has been nothing short of fantastic. He was part of the support staff of the national team during my time as Head Coach of the Chinese national team. His international experience in both basketball and business will serve the Legends well over the coming years."

As the Legends prepare for their first home game on November 30, Hewlett Packard's presenting sponsorship is joined by four other founding partners: UT Dallas Executive MBA, Metro PCS, Baylor Medical Center of Frisco and InTouch Credit Union. The logos of UT Dallas Executive MBA, Metro PCS, and Baylor Medical Center of Frisco also can be seen on the Legends home floor.

To reserve your tickets for the historic inaugural season of the Texas Legends, call 1-214-469-0822 or email info@TexLegends.com .

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