SPALDING PAYS TRIBUTE TO PAUL PIERCE, LONGTIME ENDORSER AND TEAMMATE

SPRINGFIELD, MA (June 13, 2008) — "It is the truth," said NBA Commissioner David Stern, prior to presenting the NBA Finals Most Valuable Player trophy to Boston Celtics captain and longtime Spalding endorser Paul Pierce.

For The Truth (aka Pierce) it was a season of destiny. Pierce and the Celtics went from worst to first, securing the best regular season record in the NBA and last night capturing their 17th NBA title in franchise history by beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 2. Pierce's leadership, offensive dominance and defensive hustle were a perfect compliment to the Celtic's all around team play.

Pierce is now front and center within a variety of Spalding marketing efforts. On spalding.com there is a home page takeover highlighting this Championship season - including exclusive Spalding interviews with Paul. Visit www.spalding.com It is a behind the scenes look at the team's journey from the acquisition of new teammates through to Paul hoisting the Champions trophy above his head. Spalding will also have a full page ad in the soon to be released Sports Illustrated NBA Championship commemorative issue. The ad with the headline, "The Truth Now Has a Nice Ring to it" showcases Pierce holding Spalding's limited edition Gold Championship ball.

"Paul has been a great Spalding ambassador over the years and we're pleased to have him on our team as he reaches the pinnacle of his career," stated Dan Touhey, vice president of marketing for Spalding. "Paul typifies our 'True to the Game' mantra with his consistency, work ethic and game changing results. He's brought joy to many, many Celtics fans and the Spalding family."

CHAMPION'S BALL
To honor the Boston Celtics title run, Spalding has produced a commemorative Gold Champions balls. This limited edition series will include a special laser engraved logo and will be sold in a variety of accounts, including NBAStore.com. (See attached image)

CELTICS BIG 3 BALL SELLS OUT
Spalding commemorated the Boston Celtics return to the NBA Finals with a Big Three basketball featuring Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. The ball sold out.

About Spalding
A Division of Russell Corporation, the Spalding Group consists of two business units; Spalding in Springfield, MA and American Athletic, Inc. (AAI) in Jefferson, IA. The two companies, collectively combined, are now the largest basketball equipment supplier in the world. Spalding is the official basketball of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the official backboard of the NBA and NCAA, the official volleyball of the King of the Beach Volleyball Tour and the official football of the Arena Football League (AFL) and Pop Warner. In addition to being the leading producer and marketer of basketballs, footballs, volleyballs and soccer balls, Springfield, MA-based Spalding produces softballs under the Dudley brand. For more information, visit www.spalding.com.