RML Russell CP Delaware

HOUSTON, Feb. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- A 41-year-old Phoenix school teacher dribbled a Spalding NEVER FLAT(TM) basketball for 26 consecutive hours through the streets of Houston and the 450,000 square feet of NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by NOKIA at Houston's George R. Brown Convention Center. Joseph Odhiambo bounced the basketball, guaranteed to stay inflated 10-times longer, on the hardwood floor as well as the paved streets of Houston an estimated 140,000 times (bounces) to set a Guinness World Record. Odhiambo traversed the streets -- from City Hall Park to the Public Library and from Hobby Center for Performing Arts City Hall to the local Foley's department store. He entertained fans and hammed it up for television cameras. He began the challenge Thursday afternoon and finished Friday, just after 5:00 p.m. CST, 26 hours and 30 minutes later to shatter a previous record by more than two hours. At 6'3" tall and 200 lbs, Odhiambo dribbled from a variety of positions in front of television crews and fans alike, using multiple trick dribbles during his 26 hour stretch. "The longest I have ever gone without sleep was 23 hours and that was my first trip from Kenya to the United States 16 years ago. I was younger and more nervous then," noted Odhiambo who now calls Mesa, AZ his home. "I needed to figure out a way to attend my first NBA All-Star game and with the help of the most durable basketball on the market, this world record effort got me in the front door." Throughout his 26 plus hours of dribbling activity Odhiambo was greeted and supported by NBA greats Clyde Drexler and Kenny Smith, recording artists Nick Cannon and Chris Brown; smiled for camera crews, and met fans - all who were on site at NBA Jam Session. "Joe's performance of 26 straight hours bouncing a basketball is more than a great publicity stunt, it's the ideal platform to showcase his talent and our product's ability to uphold sustained performance under pressure," stated Dan Touhey, vice president of marketing for Spalding. Spalding, a division of Russell Corporation (NYSE:RML), and the world's largest basketball equipment brand, sponsored a series of World Record initiatives throughout NBA All-Star 2006 events. Shooting specialist Dave Hopla was on hand to break the world record for hitting 20 three-pointers in one minute, topping the previous mark of 19. Additional records attempted included most free throws made in one minute (48) and the longest time spinning a basketball on one finger (3 hours, 59 minutes) which were all attempted on the Spalding World Record Court. Since introducing the product to store shelves in November, the Spalding NEVER FLAT has been the top selling basketball in the sporting goods channel. NEVER FLAT is the first-ever ball with proprietary pressure retention technologies guaranteed to hold air up to 10 times longer than traditional basketballs. It is also the only ball guaranteed to stay fully inflated for at least one year - with no additional air needed during that period. http://www.spalding.com/ First Call Analyst: FCMN Contact: DATASOURCE: Spalding CONTACT: Lynn Luczkowski of Spalding, +1-413-478-1569, or Web site: http://www.spalding.com/

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