World Basketball Festival - Day 1: Jay-Z, Team USA take NYC by storm

As reported here, New York City bore witness to the commencement of the inaugural World Basketball Festival, a celebration of the performance and culture of the game.

The four-day event officially began on Thursday, August 12 with the World Basketball Festival Tip-Off, where the finalists for the United States World Championship Team shared the Radio City Music Hall stage with one of the world’s greatest entertainers.

Following a one-of-a-kind, on-court showcase featuring the hopefuls who will be attempting to become the first United States squad to win the FIBA World Championship in 16 years, music mogul and multi-platinum selling recording artist Jay-Z turned the ‘Showplace of the Nation’ into his own personal playground to ensure that the World Basketball Festival hit the ground running.

And with stops at Harlem’s legendary Rucker Park for training and scrimmages by some of the national teams (Brazil, China, France, Puerto Rico), a scrimmage between Team USA and the Chinese National Team at Madison Square Garden and an international doubleheader at the ‘World’s Most Famous Arena' in the offing, the Festival is sure to leave an inedible impression on the Big Apple that won’t be forgotten.

Notable luminaries in attendance for the World Basketball Festival Tip-Off included: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, Amar’e Stoudemire and long-time New York Knicks fan Spike Lee.

Tickets, which start at $15, for the Sunday, August 15 international basketball doubleheader at Madison Square Garden, featuring the USA Basketball Men’s National Team and three of the world’s best national teams, are available via Ticketmaster.com at thegarden.com, by phone at 1-800-4-NBA-TIX, and at the box office at Madison Square Garden.

Click here to read the original article on Examiner.com, which includes relevant links and a special World Basketball Festival: Day 1 video presentation.