Send a net, save a life and get two tickets to an NBA game

Monday, the NBA and the United Nations Foundation's Nothing But Nets tipped off a promotion -- Send a Net. Save a Life. See a Game. presented by HP -- to send anti-malaria bed nets to refugees in 11 African countries. The effort is part of the NBA Cares Season of Giving and runs through January 31, 2010.

Starting Monday, NBA fans can log on to NothingButNets.net to donate $10 or more and get two complimentary tickets to an NBA game, subject to availability.

Send a Net. Save a Life. See a Game. encourages NBA fans and Nothing But Nets supporters to send life-saving bed nets to displaced families in Africa to help protect them from malaria, the number one killer of refugees on the continent. The promotion will also help the United Nations Foundation's Nothing But Nets, in partnership with the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), reach its goal of protecting more than one million refugees in Africa from malaria this year.

"Thanks to the commitment of the NBA, our partners, and supporters, we've already covered more than 600,000 refugees with bed nets in eastern Africa this year alone," said Nothing But Nets Director Adrianna Logalbo. "Now we hope the NBA and its fans can help us exceed our goal to protect more than one million of the world's most vulnerable people as the need for these life-saving nets is far from over."

ESPN sportswriter Rick Reilly, who inspired the United Nations Foundation to create the Nothing But Nets campaign through his May 2006 Sports Illustrated column, will match fan donations -- net for net -- up to a total of $25,000.

"This tremendous effort aligns with the NBA's long tradition of addressing important health and wellness issues worldwide," said NBA Executive Vice President Social Responsibility and Player Programs Kathy Behrens. "We know our fans care about these causes as passionately as the NBA, and we are proud to provide them the opportunity to make a life-saving donation as part of the NBA Cares Season of Giving."

Long-lasting, insecticide-treated bed nets are one of the easiest and most cost-effective methods of preventing the disease's spread. They create a protective barrier against mosquitoes at night, when the vast majority of malaria transmissions occur. One bed net can protect a family of four, and lasts three to five years. It costs just $10 to purchase, deliver, and educate the recipient on its proper use.

To date, Nothing But Nets has raised close to $30 million and has sent nearly three million nets to children, pregnant women, and refugees throughout Africa. To learn more about Nothing But Nets or to make your life-saving donation, log on to NothingButNets.net.

About United Nations Foundation

The UN Foundation is an advocate for the UN and a platform for connecting people, ideas, and capital to help the United Nations solve global problems. We build partnerships, grow constituencies, mobilize resources, and advocate policy changes to support the UN's work for individual and global progress. The UN Foundation's work -- focused on select global problems -- is decreasing child mortality, improving disaster relief, protecting diverse cultures and environments, creating a clean energy future, empowering women and girls, and improving U.S.-UN relations. For more information, visit www.UNFoundation.org.

About Nothing But Nets

Nothing But Nets is a global, grassroots campaign to save lives by preventing malaria, a leading killer of children in Africa. Inspired by sports columnist Rick Reilly, hundreds of thousands of people have joined the campaign that was created by the United Nations Foundation in 2006. Founding campaign partners include the National Basketball Association's NBA Cares, the people of The United Methodist Church and Sports Illustrated. It costs only $10 to provide an insecticide-treated bed net that can prevent this deadly disease. Visit NothingButNets.net to send a net and save a life.

About HP

HP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world's largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at www.hp.com.

About NBA Cares

NBA Cares is the league's social responsibility initiative that builds on the NBA's long tradition of addressing important social issues in the United States and around the world. Through this umbrella program, the NBA, its teams and players have donated more than $115 million to charity, provided more than one million hours of hands-on service to communities around the world, and created more than 440 places where kids and families can live, learn or play. NBA Cares works with internationally recognized youth-serving programs that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes, including: KaBOOM!, Special Olympics, Boys and Girls Clubs of America, UNICEF, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis.