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NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland by the numbers

February 16, 2022 1:02 p.m.

CLEVELAND – NBA All-Star 2022 will reach fans in 215 countries and territories in a record 60 languages on their televisions, computers, mobile phones and tablets, culminating with the 71st NBA All-Star Game when Team Durant faces Team LeBron on Sunday, Feb. 20 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.  TNT and ESPN Radio will air the NBA All-Star Game live in the United States at 8 p.m. ET. 

Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will also host Clorox Rising Stars on Friday, Feb. 18 and State Farm® All-Star Saturday Night (which features the AT&T Slam Dunk, MTN DEW® 3-Point Contest and Taco Bell® Skills Challenge) on Saturday, Feb. 19.  The Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game on Feb. 18, the NBA All-Star Practice presented by AT&T and the NBA HBCU Classic presented by AT&T on Feb. 19, and the NBA G League Next Gem Game on Feb. 20 will take place at the Wolstein Center.

Below are some numbers and tidbits pertaining to NBA All-Star 2022.

NBA All-Star Game

  • 4  A record four former NBA G League players are NBA All-Stars this season: Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz), Khris Middleton (Milwaukee Bucks), Dejounte Murray (San Antonio Spurs) and Fred VanVleet (Toronto Raptors).
  • 6 – Six members of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team are on All-Star rosters: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks), Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors), Kevin Durant (Brooklyn Nets), James Harden (Philadelphia 76ers), LeBron James (Los Angeles Lakers) and Chris Paul (Phoenix Suns).
  • 8/24 – The Kobe Bryant Trophy, which will be awarded to the Kia NBA All-Star MVP, features an eight-sided base representing the eight decades of All-Star Games and is a nod to Bryant’s No. 8 jersey number.  The 24 stars on the first level represent the All-Stars in the game and Bryant’s No. 24 jersey number.  The trophy headlines the lineup of reimaginedNBA All-Star hardware, designed in partnership with artist Victor Solomon, that will be presented during NBA All-Star 2022.
  • 16 – Giannis Antetokounmpo made all 16 of his field goal attempts as the Kia NBA All-Star MVP of the 2021 All-Star Game, setting the record for most field goals without a miss in the All-Star Game.
  • 18 – LeBron James is set to play in his 18th All-Star Game, which will tie Kareem Abdul-Jabbar for the NBA record, and make his record 18th All-Star Game start (every season since 2004-05).
  • 20 – At 20 years old, LaMelo Ball (Charlotte Hornets) is set to become the fourth-youngest player to play in the All-Star Game.
  • 22 – This year’s NBA All-Star rings, which are awarded to players in recognition of their selection to the game, feature 22 stars and diamonds in reference to NBA All-Star 2022.
  • 24 – The winner of the All-Star Game will be the first team to reach (or surpass) the Final Target Score, which will be the leading team’s total score after the first three quarters plus 24points.  For example, if the leading team has 100 points after the first three quarters, the Final Target Score will be 124 (100 + 24).
  • 128 – Chris Paul has the most assists in All-Star Game history with 128 (which is one more than Magic Johnson).
  • 750,000 – A total of $750,000 will be awarded to two beneficiaries through the All-Star Game, with Team Durant playing for the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and Team LeBron playing for the Kent State I Promise Scholars Program. 

NBA All-Star History in Cleveland

  • 1 – Michael Jordan recorded the first triple-double in NBA All-Star Game history when he finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in the 1997 All-Star Game in Cleveland.
  • 9 – Nate “Tiny” Archibald had nine points and nine assists as the MVP of the 1981 All-Star Game in Richfield, Ohio.
  • 18 – Kobe Bryant was 18 years old when he won the Slam Dunk contest at NBA All-Star 1997.
  • 20 – Glen Rice of the Charlotte Hornets scored 20 points in the third quarter to lead the Eastern Conference to a 132-120 victory over the Western Conference in the 1997 All-Star Game, now tied for the most points scored by a player in a quarter in All-Star Game history.
  • 35/50/75 – The Cleveland area has hosted NBA All-Star when the league celebrated its 35thseason (1981), 50th anniversary (1997) and 75th anniversary (2022), marking its three times as All-Star host.
  • 50 – The 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, as announced in 1996, were honored at halftime of the 1997 All-Star Game.  Each of those players was recently named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, a group of 76 players who will be honored at the 2022 All-Star Game.

Clorox Rising Stars

  • 4 – Under a new format for Clorox Rising Starsfour teams of seven players will compete in a mini-tournament consisting of three games.
  • 6 – Six elite young players from NBA G League Ignite will compete across the Clorox Rising Stars and Clorox Clutch Challenge shooting competition on Feb. 18: MarJon Beauchamp, Dyson Daniels, Michael Foster Jr., Jaden Hardy, Scoot Henderson and Fanbo Zeng. 
  • 36 – Rising Stars honorary coaches and NBA 75th Anniversary Team selections Rick Barry (8), Gary Payton (9), Isiah Thomas (12) and James Worthy (7) combined for 36 NBA All-Star selections.

AT&T Slam Dunk

  • 1 – A first-time champion will be crowned in AT&T Slam Dunk.  Cole Anthony (Orlando Magic), Jalen Green (Houston Rockets) and Juan Toscano-Anderson (Golden State Warriors) are set to make their event debuts, and Obi Toppin (New York Knicks) returns for his second appearance after finishing as the runner-up last year.
  • 30 – In addition to the live presentation of AT&T Slam Dunk by TNT and ESPN Radio on Feb. 19, Cartoon Network will air a special 30-minute, superpowered Teen Titans Go! edition of the contest on Feb. 20 at 5 p.m. ET.

MTN DEW® 3-Point Contest

  • 4 – Four 2022 NBA All-Stars are part of the field for the MTN DEW® 3-Point Contest: Zach LaVine (Chicago Bulls), Karl-Anthony Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves), Fred VanVleet (Toronto Raptors) and Trae Young (Atlanta Hawks).
  • 6 – The two-round, timed shooting competition will feature the THE DEW ZONE, which is located 6 feet behind the 3-point line, where the participants will attempt two shots – with a special green ball – that are worth three points each. 

Taco Bell® Skills Challenge

  • 3 – Three teams of three players will compete in a new format for the Taco Bell® Skills Challenge, with the teams composed of three Antetokounmpo brothers (Giannis and Thanasis of the Milwaukee Bucks and Alex of Raptors 905), three Cleveland Cavaliers players (Jarrett Allen, Darius Garland and Evan Mobley) and three NBA rookies (Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors, Cade Cunningham of the Detroit Pistons and Josh Giddey of the Oklahoma City Thunder).
  • 4 – The competition will consist of four rounds and test shooting, passing and dribbling ability, culminating with the top two teams from the first three rounds competing in the fourth and final round, where the winning team will be the one that makes a half-court shot in the fastest time.

NBA All-Star Around the World

  • 2 – With their participation in Clorox Rising Stars, Josh Giddey (Oklahoma City Thunder; Australia) and Dyson Daniels (NBA G League Ignite; Australia), who were teammates at NBA Global Academy in Canberra, Australia, from 2019-2020, will become the first twoNBA Academy alumni to participate in NBA All-Star.
  • 4 – There are a record-tying four international All-Star Game starters: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks; Greece; ties to Nigeria), Joel Embiid (Philadelphia 76ers; Cameroon), Nikola Jokić (Denver Nuggets; Serbia) and Andrew Wiggins (Golden State Warriors; Canada).  Two other international players were selected as All-Star reserves: Luka Dončić (Dallas Mavericks; Slovenia) and Rudy Gobert (Utah Jazz; France). 
  • 6  Six international television and radio networks – from France, Greece, Latin America, Mongolia, Poland and Spain – will conduct live onsite commentary at NBA All-Star 2022. Three television networks – from India, Netherlands and Norway – will broadcast NBA All-Star remotely for the first time.
  • 15/12 – Fifteen international players from 12 countries will participate in NBA All-Star 2022 events.

Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game

  • 4 – The Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game will tip off with the Ruffles Ridges 4-point Shooting Competition.  Ruffles and the NBA will donate $4,000 to support the Thurgood Marshall College Fund for every shot made from behind the line, with a minimum of $40,000.
  • 21 – The Celebrity Game rosters feature 21 participants, including Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and seven recording artists in Anuel AA, Jimmie Allen, Kane Brown, Jack Harlow, Machine Gun Kelly, Quavo and Anjali Ranadive.

NBA G League Next Gem Game

  • 1 – The next generation of talent will be highlighted in the first NBA G League Next Gem Game, a matchup between NBA G League Ignite and the Cleveland Charge on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. ET on NBA TV.

Social Impact

  • 14 – Volunteers across the NBA family will participate in the 14th Annual NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service presented by Nike, SAP and State Farm on Feb. 18, sorting and packing food donations at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and gently used books with the Kids’ Book Bank Cleveland to support thousands of children, seniors, families and other individuals in need.  
  • 2,000 – The NBA will dedicate its 2,000th Live, Learn or Play center, at the Cudell Recreation Center in Cleveland, as part of the NBA 75th Live, Learn or Play Initiative in partnership with Kaiser Permanente.  
  • 110,000 – The NBA will support vaccination and testing efforts in Cleveland through 11 vaccination clinics, in addition to donating 10,000 rapid antigen tests and 110,000 face masks to the city’s COVID-19 Taskforce.
  • 3,000,000 – As part of NBA All-Star 2022, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association will provide more than $3 million in programming and support to the Greater Cleveland and HBCU communities.

HBCUs

  • 1 – Howard University and Morgan State University will meet in the first NBA HBCU Classic presented by AT&T on Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. ET, which will be simulcast on TNT, ESPN2 and NBA TV.  As part of the NBA’s and AT&T’s ongoing commitments to HBCUs, they will donate $100,000 to each school.
  • 2 – The NBA and MTN DEW will selected two HBCU students to receive up to $50,000 scholarships from Howard University and Morgan State University.
  • 11 – Eleven HBCU college students will participate in an NBA All-Star Event Shadow program.
  • 500,000 – In continued support of HBCU students, institutions and programs, the NBA and NBA Foundation will make grants of $250,000 each, totaling $500,000, to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) and UNCF (United Negro College Fund).

NBA All-Star on TNT

  • 5 – Five Turner Sports analysts were named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team: Charles Barkley, Reggie Miller, Shaquille O’Neal, Isiah Thomas and Dwyane Wade.
  • 20 – TNT will present the NBA All-Star Game for the 20th straight year.

NBA All-Star on ESPN
·         26 – ESPN Radio will broadcast its 26th All-Star Game, with play-by-play voice Marc Kestecher, analyst P.J. Carlesimo and reporters Ros Gold-Onwude and Monica McNutt on the call.
·         31 – Analysts Kendrick Perkins and Richard Jefferson, who will call the Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game with host Cassidy Hubbarth and reporter Monica McNutt, combined to play 31 seasons in the NBA.

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There’s a Nanyang near you for all your Singaporean food cravings

August 4, 2023 6:30 p.m.

Missing Singapore’s famous Hainanese Chicken Rice, Laksa fishball, Cheesy Chicken Chop Noodles and Kopi?

Visit your nearest Nanyang Philippines branch.

Cheesy Chicken Chop Noodles
Kopi
Laksa Prawn
Laksa Fishball
Hainanese Chicken Rice

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Globe powers up TOYCON 2023’s landmark 20th year

June 29, 2023 6:53 p.m.

As Toycon Philippines proudly commemorates its 20th year, the landmark celebration promises to be more electrifying than ever with the formidable support of leading digital lifestyle brand Globe.

For the first time, Globe is the title sponsor of the iconic pop-culture event, bringing a new level of excitement and engagement to the toy collector and creator community.

Globe has always been at the forefront of supporting diverse subcultures and passions, and this partnership is a testament to its commitment. As part of the collaboration, Globe will bring to life the rich world of its cinematic and theatrical partners, further enriching the TOYCON 2023 experience for attendees.

“Globe is thrilled to collaborate with Toycon Philippines, especially on such a milestone year,” said Mike Magpily, VP, Head of Segment Strategy and Subcultures at Globe.

“As the country’s most reliable network and top digital solutions platform with an ecosystem of various services, we’re uniquely positioned to foster the vibrancy of the toy collecting and creating community. This partnership underscores our commitment to nurturing a wide array of passions and interests while ensuring the best connectivity for all participants.”

Cholo Mallillin, Marketing Head at Toycon Philippines, said: “The collaboration with Globe will further elevate the Toycon experience. This partnership will bring more surprises and rewards to our community. We invite everyone to join us as we celebrate 20 years of Toycon in the most exciting way possible.”

TOYCON 2023 will be held at the SMX Convention Center in MOA from July 7 to 9, 2023. Attendees are in for a treat, as they have the chance to meet their beloved childhood characters, explore an expansive marketplace of unique toys and collectibles, and participate in exclusive Globe activities.

One of the highlights of the partnership is a series of exclusive perks for Globe customers. By using Globe Rewards points, customers will have the opportunity to win various ticket tiers ranging from Day Passes to VIP Passes. There will also be exclusive toy freebies for VIP pass holders, and unique Globe-only activities, such as paint-your-own Gudi.

At the event, Globe will also host an interactive booth featuring activities designed to reward and inspire. From earning freebies by donating Rewards points to a good cause, to free arcade plays and meet-ups with popular streamers, Globe customers are in for an exciting weekend of gaming and beyond.

To keep up-to-date with all the exciting promotions and surprises at TOYCON 2023, Globe customers are encouraged to use the GlobeOne app.

To learn more about Globe, visit https://www.globe.com.ph/.

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Love the long weekend break? Cybercriminals do, too

April 4, 2023 5:11 p.m.

There are 18 official public holidays in the Philippines. As we all know, when these dates fall close to a weekend or if the government pursues holiday economics, most Filipinos make plans in advance to take advantage of extended holiday breaks. This year, we can get to do that at least 12 times. 

Unfortunately, cybercriminals get excited about holidays, too. To refresh everyone’s memory, the $81-million Bangladesh Bank heist back in 2016 is an example of a successful cyber attack, which happened on the first day of Lunar New Year, a national holiday in the Philippines and the rest of Asia.

A person holding a turtle

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Kaspersky shares 9 tips to keep protected when you’re away on a holiday 

“Now that the world has reopened, travel is back with a vengeance this year, hence the term ‘travel revenge’. Whether Filipinos are scheduling holiday trips or just staycation-ing during the long weekends, it’s important to observe simple digital security practices so you can get to sit back and relax as you take your well-deserved vacation. Security-first thinking opens doors for a more enjoyable holiday break, especially for Filipinos who are amongst the world’s most active online users,” comments Chris Connell, Managing Director for Asia Pacific at Kaspersky.

Both individuals and companies are advised to be extra mindful of personal cybersecurity best practices and internet hygiene when on a holiday.

For companies, Kaspersky suggests to:

  1. Conduct drills
  • Stress to vacationing employees why data encryption, two-factor authentication, strong passwords, and locking devices when not in use are important.
  • Discuss the steps to take if their device ends up getting stolen.
  • Advise staff about charging smartphones in a wall socket, not through USBs at airports and other public places (these can be used to steal data from a device and infect it with malicious software, such as spyware.
  • Educate employees about the dangers of public WIFI (and even hotel WIFI unless it is encrypted and password-protected) and how to use a secure connection such as with a VPN.
  1. Log out
  • Terminate unnecessary VPN connections to the corporate infrastructure.
  • End unnecessary sessions that employees have left on any devices for an extended period of time. This also applies to corporate messengers, web apps and any other services. 
  • Check that the list of employees with access to the corporate network via VPN or RDP include only authorized users. Revoke access from those who don’t need it. 
  • Create special “emergency” admin accounts for potential incident response over the holidays. The rights granted to regular admin accounts can even be temporarily restricted so that attackers cannot exploit them.
  1. Install patches for all key applications. This process is far simpler if your company uses security solutions with a built-in patch management system.

Meanwhile, Kaspersky encourages individuals to:

  1. Only browse trusted apps and websites and be careful about personal information you input like credit card numbers or home address. 
  2. Do not click on links or open email attachments from travel sites when receiving confirmations. Trusted companies include such letters in the bodies of their emails. Malware is often disguised as an attached confirmation letter. 
  3. Bring two or three or more credit or debit cards to have a backup plan in case of loss or needing to cancel one.
  4. Never leave valuables unattended. Put large amounts of cash and mobile devices or laptops in the hotel safe. 
  5. Use a credit card as most have built-in protections against fraud. There is no protection against a scammer if you send them cash or even check or debit card payment in some cases. A money transfer service is not advisable. 
  6. Ensure their devices has security software installed, ideally with anti-theft technology. 
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