– NBA-Inspired Dining and Entertainment Destination to Open on Iconic La Rambla Street – 

– NBA Café Barcelona to be Operated by Restaurant Group AN Grup –

BARCELONA, July 14, 2016 – The National Basketball Association (NBA) and Spanish restaurant group AN Grup announced today that the first NBA Café in Europe will open in fall 2016 on the iconic La Rambla street in Barcelona, Spain.
NBA Café Barcelona, the first NBA destination of its kind in Europe, will offer a unique dining and entertainment experience capturing the energy and feel of the NBA in a state-of-the-art venue.  Managed and operated by AN Grup, one of the largest restaurant groups in Spain with more than 28 restaurants serving more than five million customers each year, NBA Café Barcelona will be designed by renowned Spanish interior designer Lázaro Rosa-Violán, whose work is displayed in more than 230 hotels, restaurants and retail spaces around the world.
“The NBA has a longstanding relationship with the fans and city of Barcelona,” said NBA EMEA Vice President of Business and Basketball Operations Jesus Bueno.  “NBA Café Barcelona will be a unique, fully immersive one-stop destination for fans of all ages and is another great way for fans to get closer to the NBA.”
“NBA Café Barcelona is an amazing challenge for the AN Grup.  We are excited to be working with the NBA, and look forward to creating a ‘WOW!’ factor as it relates to the interior design, branding, menu and merchandise, in order to create an incredible experience for NBA fans,” said AN Grup President and Founder Artemi Nolla Furriol.  “NBA Café Barcelona will be the city’s go-to destination for all things NBA, providing fans with the ultimate sports, entertainment and dining experience.”
Covering 1,200 square meters, NBA Café Barcelona will feature a range of NBA imagery, memorabilia, and merchandise, all complemented by an exciting menu offering quintessential American bar and grill favorites along with local and Mediterranean dishes.  Multimedia displays including an arena-inspired, four-sided “jumbotron” over the bar area will show NBA highlights and programming so diners never miss a shot.  Fans will also be able to meet NBA talent, including current and former players, mascots and dance teams during key moments throughout the year.
For more information, please visit www.nbacafe.com/barcelona.
NBA Café Manila, the league’s first café outside the U.S., opened in April 2014.
On June 29, the NBA and Euroleague Basketball announced that the Oklahoma City Thunder will play two preseason games in October against Euroleague Basketball teams Real Madrid and FC Barcelona Lassa, as part of NBA Global Games Europe 2016 presented by BBVA.  The Thunder will tip off against nine-time Euroleague Champion and 33-time Spanish League Champion Real Madrid on Oct. 3 at the Barclaycard Center, before travelling to Barcelona to face 18-time Spanish League Champion and two-time Euroleague Champion FC Barcelona Lassa on Oct. 5 at the Palau Sant Jordi.  Tickets are on sale now at www.ticketmaster.es.
More NBA information can be found at www.NBA.es, the league’s official online destination in Spain, and on Facebook (NBA Espana) and Twitter (@NBA_Spain).  Fans can download the NBA App for news, updates, scores, stats, schedules, videos and more.
About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around three professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, and the NBA Development League.  The league has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 49 languages, and NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on 6 continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2015-16 season featured 100 international players from 37 countries and territories.  NBA Digital’s assets include NBA.com and the NBA app, which achieved record traffic during the 2014-15 season, as well as NBA TV.  The NBA has created one of the largest social media communities in the world, with more than one billion likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league addresses important social issues by working with internationally recognized youth-serving organizations that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes.
 
About AN Grup
AN Grup is one of the biggest hospitality groups in the country, with a large presence in the city of Barcelona. AN Grup divides its restoration activity in four areas: Restaurants (brands La Botiga, Daps, Citrus and Marítim), Urban Country Houses (brand Mussol), Tapas Bars (brands Tapa-Tapa, Piscolabis, Txapela and QUQU) and Casual food (brand Otto Sylt and Maximilian). In total AN Grup operates 28 restaurants and two gastronomic franchises serving more than five million costumers each year
 
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Contact
Ignasi Castello, NBA Spain Communications, +34 610 200 051, icastello@nba.com