RESPONSIBILITY HAS ITS REWARDS AT NBA ALL-STAR 201

New Orleans, LA, Feb. 23, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A sold out crowd at the 66th NBA All-Star Game on February 19, 2017 witnessed the incredible skills of the league’s best players. For John Monroig, the Houston Rockets Designated Driver for the Season, his tickets to the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, LA were the result of being the first prize winner of the “Responsibility Has Its Rewards” sweepstakes for designated drivers. Monroig, a resident of Houston, was named “Designated Driver for the Season” for the Rockets for the 2015-2016 season. All 30 NBA teams selected a Designated Driver for the Season. Mr. Monroig was the lucky one randomly selected to represent the more than 71,000 responsible NBA fans who pledged to be designated drivers last season.

Throughout the three days of All-Star festivities at Smoothie King Center, several hundred NBA fans pledged to never drive drunk and always have a designated driver.

For the last decade, the NBA, Techniques for Effective Alcohol Management (TEAM) Coalition and NBA teams across the country have been working together to make more fans aware of the designated driver programs at NBA arenas, promote traffic safety and encourage responsible drinking and positive fan behavior. The success of those efforts is demonstrated by the fact that designated driver program participation has more than tripled league-wide since the partnership began in 2006.

The “Responsibility Has Its Rewards” sweepstakes grand prize winners from the 2015-2016 NBA season were Elyssa Eldridge and Sandra Still. Eldridge was named “Designated Driver for the Season” for the Golden State Warriors and Still was selected to represent the Cleveland Cavaliers. Eldridge attended game one of The Finals 2016 and Still attended game 3. Designated drivers pledge to refrain from drinking alcohol at the game and provide their friends and family with a safe ride home.

The top five NBA teams for designated drivers at the end of the 2015-2016 season were:

• Dallas Mavericks with 8,916 designated drivers
• Charlotte Hornets with 8,386 designated drivers
• Oklahoma City Thunder with 8,221 designated drivers
• Houston Rockets with 6,702 designated drivers
• Sacramento Kings with 5,415 designated drivers

“The success of the Responsibility Has Its Rewards campaign with the NBA is a direct result of the commitment from the league, the teams and all the campaign partners,” said Jill Pepper, executive director of TEAM Coalition. “Teamwork is what this campaign is all about. We are demonstrating that when everyone – including the fans – takes responsibility, everyone wins.”

Jill Pepper, TEAM Coalition – 703-647-7431, jill@teamcoalition.org