NBA Names Tim Chen CEO of NBA China

The NBA
has named Tim Chen, CEO of Microsoft Greater China, as CEO of NBA China,
effective October 15, it was announced today by NBA Commissioner David Stern.
NBA China is a new enterprise being created to encapsulate all of the league’s
businesses in Greater China.

NBA China
will be governed by a Board of Directors that will include NBA owners,
representatives of outside investors as well as Stern, NBA Deputy Commissioner
and COO Adam Silver and NBA President of Global Marketing Partnerships and
International Business Operations Heidi Ueberroth.

Ueberroth,
who led the recruiting process said, “After an extensive search that produced
many qualified candidates, Tim Chen was the clear choice based on his
tremendous experience and accomplishments. Tim will assume leadership of a very
talented team of NBA employees based in

China including Mark Fischer, who
will be promoted to Senior Vice President.”

“Tim Chen
is a proven business leader who has guided the dramatic growth of two Fortune
100 businesses in

China,”
said Stern. “Tim is the ideal person to lead NBA China as we expand our
infrastructure and operations to meet the growing interest from fans and consumers
throughout the region.”

“The NBA
is a truly exceptional brand with a huge fan base that reaches across all parts
of

China,”
said Chen. “I’m thrilled by the scope of this opportunity and the ability to
work with such a talented team, as we build on the enormous business potential
that spans media, merchandising, marketing, events and new initiatives.”

Chen comes
to the NBA from Microsoft, where he led the software giant’s growth in

China since
2003. Chen worked closely with the government to incorporate Microsoft software
into the growing network of PCs in administration and education. Under his
leadership, Microsoft sales and revenue grew more rapidly in the Greater China
region than in any other market in the world, while at the same time significantly
increased its investment in R&D and domestic software ventures.

Chen was
Chairman and President of Motorola in

China from 2001 to 2003 and
increased the company’s market share to become the leader in the competitive
Chinese mobile phone industry and mobile system business. Prior to 2001, Chen
spent eight years with Motorola, including serving as its general manager
responsible for marketing and sales operations for the Greater China Cellular
Infrastructure Division. Prior to joining Motorola, Chen spent nine years at
AT&T Labs based in the

United
States.

Chen
received an MBA from the

University
of
Chicago and two
master’s degrees in computer science and mathematics. Chen, who earned his
undergraduate degree at
Chiao
Tung
University
in
Taiwan, currently resides
in

Beijing with
his wife and two children.

With 300 million people playing basketball, 83%
of people ages 15-24 saying they’re NBA fans and 20% of traffic to NBA.com
coming from

China,
basketball is rapidly growing in popularity. The NBA has relationships with 51
TV stations that provide NBA programming to more than 1.2 billion viewers. The
league maintains marketing partnerships in

China with 20 of the world’s
leading brands and makes products available to fans in more than 50,000
locations. The NBA is conducting more than 170 special events in 112 cities in
Greater China including the NBA China Games 2007, three pre-season games in
Shanghai and

Macao
in October.