Jay-Z, who previously collaborated with Absolut, now teams up with Nike to support the brand’s first World Basketball Festival, which will be running August 12-15. The famed rapper was invited to perform at Radio City Music Hall and design limited-edition All Black Everything Air Force Ones pair of sneakers.
Music mogul and multi-platinum selling recording artist Jay-Z will take the stage at New York’s Radio City Music Hall tonight for an electrifying musical performance following a one-of-a-kind, on-court showcase featuring finalists for the 2010 USA Basketball World Championship Team as part of the inaugural World Basketball Festival. The entire Radio City Music Hall basketball and musical performance will stream live on WBF’s Facebook beginning at 6:30 p.m. EDT until its conclusion. Following the event at Radio City Music Hall, highlights will be available online at NBA.com and USABasketball.com.
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In addition to his performance at Radio City Music Hall, Jay-Z has joined forces with Nike to create an iconic collection of Air Force 1s—the All Black Everything collection inspired by the World Basketball Festival. Nike has donated the shoes to the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation, who in turn have linked up with eBay on a charity auction where the sneakers of five unique designs will raise funds for its mission to provide financial assistance to promising individuals upon acceptance into any accredited institution of higher learning.
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One hundred percent of the funds raised will support the Shawn Carter Scholarship Foundation. The charity auction begins on August 12, and bidders can visit ebay to enter a bid. Only two pairs of each of the five versions will be created, one for the winning bidder and one for the man behind the design, Jay-Z.
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“We’re excited to bring together the international prestige of Jay-Z and the USA Team on stage at famed Radio City Music Hall to open the first World Basketball Festival. This will be a historic night. We’re also honored to collaborate with Jay-Z on limited edition Air Force 1s that celebrate the countries participating in this inaugural event,” said Trevor Edwards, Nike VP Global Brand and Category Management.