Tennessee and Gonzaga, the top 10 powerhouse programs in the 2022-23 preseason, will compete in the inaugural edition of the “Basketball Legends” charity exhibition game on Friday, Oct. 10. 28 at the Comerica Center in Frisco, Texas. The race is scheduled to take place at 9pm ET, with iNDEMAND, North America’s largest distributor of PPV and on-demand programming, serving as the exclusive streaming and TV distributor for the event. Proceeds from the event will benefit the McClendon Foundation.
iNDEMAND will stream the game in the US and Canada through its streaming service PPV.COM, as well as cable, satellite and telecom PPV providers. Fans can stream matches live on PPV.COM, the first PPV streaming service to offer interactive fan engagement during live sports events. PPV.COM’s breakthrough digital video technology allows fans to chat in real-time with other fans and experts, as well as post fan reaction videos and other events. Customers can also order Legends of Basketball Classic on TV through their cable, satellite or telecom providers including Xfinity, Spectrum, Contour, Dish, Verizon Fios, Altice and other leading providers. The suggested retail price for all PPV platforms is $9.99.
The McClendon Foundation was established by NACDA in 1999 to honor the legacy of Hall of Fame coach John McClendon, a pioneer in track and field, basketball and civil rights. The mission of the McClendon Foundation is to empower and nurture minority groups who aspire to be principled leaders in sports management by providing educational resources and connections to a community of lifelong mentors. All of the foundation’s organizational programming is directly aligned with Coach McClendon’s values: integrity, education, leadership, and mentoring.
Intersport, a sports marketing and events agency, will also manage Brew City Battle, Shamrock Classic, Fort Myers Tip-Off, Women’s Fort Myers Tip-Off, CBS Sports Classic and Legends of Basketball Showcase during the non-conference college basketball season and will handle All ticketing, game operations and event production for the exhibition. The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) will be the title partner of the charity show. The NBRPA was established in 1992 to serve former professional basketball players and help them transition to life after basketball.
“It’s going to be great,” said Intersport founder and CEO Charlie Besser. “By partnering with nationally recognized Gonzaga and Tennessee basketball programs and iNDEMAND, an industry leader in pay-per-view content, we will bring a March-like atmosphere to college basketball preseason. We love innovation in college basketball Events — we’ve been doing this for decades. In this case, it’s especially meaningful because it benefits the important work of the McClendon Foundation.
Mark Boccardi, senior vice president of programming and marketing for iNDEMAND and PPV.COM, said, “This will be the first time Gonzaga and Tennessee fans have seen their teams perform at the game this season. We are proud to be part of this benefit part of the McClendon Foundation and look forward to delivering an easy-to-order and high-quality viewing experience.”
Gonzaga went 28-4 from last season and was No. 1 in the Associated Press poll for nine weeks. In addition, the Bulldogs welcome one of the top transfers in the country this season – Malachi Smith – Player of the Year – as well as 7-foot LSU transfer Efton Reid III. Head coach Mark Few has the highest winning percentage in the nation with a .836 percentage, and he went 657-129 in 23 seasons in the program.
Tennessee returned four of the top five scorers from a team that went 27-8 overall last season, won the SEC Tournament and appeared in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in a row. Vols return to first-team All-SEC guard Santiago Vescovysenior beginner Josiah-Jordan James, Olivier Ncamwa and Uros PravsicAnd also introduced a much-touted recruiting class Julian Phillips. Head Coach Rick Barnesentering his 36th season as head coach and eighth with the Vols, is one of six active coaches with more than 750 career wins.
Tickets for the Classic go on sale Friday and can be purchased by visiting www.ticketmaster.com or by visiting the Comerica Center Box Office. Fans interested in attending the game can sign up to receive direct email alerts on ticketing news and other event updates by visiting www.legendsofbasketball.com/classic. Those who sign up for these ticket reminders will be eligible for exclusive one-day pre-sale starting Thursday. Opened in 2003, the Comerica Center is home to the NBA G-League Texas Legends and the Lone Star Conference men’s and women’s basketball tournaments.
How to Watch Legends of Basketball Classics on PPV
Suggested retail price: $9.99
Online/Streaming: PPV.COM (no subscription required)
television: Orderable through major cable and satellite systems including Xfinity, Spectrum, Contour, DISH (Channel 461), Verizon Fios, Altice and more
- In Knoxville: Xfinity channel 1201, spectrum channel 2100
- In Nashville: Xfinity channel 1201, spectrum channel 2100
- In Chattanooga: Xfinity channel 1201, spectrum channel 2100
- In Memphis: Xfinity channel 1201, spectrum channel 2100
- In Spokane: Xfinity Channel 1201
- In Seattle: Xfinity Channel 1201
About International Sports
Since 1985, Intersport has been an award-winning innovator and leader in creating marketing platforms based on sports, lifestyle, cooking and entertainment. With expertise in sponsorship consulting, experiential marketing, hospitality, retail engagement, content marketing, production and property creation, the Chicago-based marketing and media solutions company helps its clients create compelling ideas, content and Experience attracts consumers. To learn more about Intersport, visit www.intersport.global, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
About iNDEMAND and PPV.COM
iNDEMAND is an innovative partnership between the three leading US cable companies – Charter Communications, Comcast Cable and Cox Communications. iNDEMAND is a company of trusted content aggregators and licensing experts with unparalleled technical expertise and long-term relationships with MVPDs, major sports leagues, Hollywood studios, and other entertainment and sports companies across North America. iNDEMAND delivers great content to more than 80 million cable subscribers and has distribution agreements with more than 150 companies. In December 2021, iNDEMAND launched PPV.COM, an innovative streaming PPV service, the first of its kind to provide interactive fan engagement during live sports events. By adding PPV.COM to its existing wireline PPV infrastructure, iNDEMAND consolidates all forms of PPV distribution under one roof, making the company the only provider of turnkey PPV solutions to industry partners and consumers . For more information, visit indemand.com and PPV.COM
About the National Basketball Retired Players Association
The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) is made up of former professional basketball players from the NBA, ABA and WNBA. It is a 501(c) 3 organization whose mission is to develop, implement and advocate broad programs for the benefit of its members, supporters and communities. The NBRPA was founded in 1992 by basketball legends Dave DeBusschere, Dave Bing, Archie Clark, Dave Cowens and Oscar Robertson. NBRPA works directly with the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association. Legends Care is a philanthropic program of the NBRPA that positively impacts youth and communities through basketball. Scott Rochelle is President and Chief Executive Officer, and the NBRPA Board of Directors includes Johnny Davis, Chairman of the Board, Dave Cowens, Vice Chairman, Sam Perkins, Treasurer, Grant Hill, Secretary, Thurl Bailey, Caron Butler, Jerome Williams, Shawn Marion, Charles “Choo” Smith, Cheryl Swopes and Robert Horry. Learn more at legendsofbasketball.com.
About the McClendon Foundation
Founded in 1999, the McLendon Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization created and administered by NACDA. Through fellowship programs and leadership initiatives, the McClendon Foundation provides minority educational resources, hands-on experience, and serves as a tool for networking, professional development, and advocacy on behalf of the industry. For more information about the McLendon Foundation, visit Minorityleaders.org.