The 5th of February 2020, in New York took place the Italian Brand Basketball Leage, a project that aims to help italian brands to work as a team, on and off the pitch.

The idea, officially presented yesterday during a Press Conference at the Italian Trade Agency of NYC, comes from Simone Barazzoto, creative by profession and President of And Basketartisti, the italian national basketball team of artists that this years celebrates its twenty years.

I Love Italian Food could not be missing between the supporters of the project: “We have always believed that create a network is the only way to make our excellences a winner in the world, that is why we are always at the forefront when it comes to promote made in Italy. To us, supporting IBBL project means communicating the Italianness values that characterize our project, in a unusual but winning key, considering a public that loves basketball such as the Americans.” Says Alessandro Schiatti, CEO and founding member of I Love Italian Food.

With I Love Italian Food, supporting the IBBL initiative there are many Italian entrepreneurs of F&B sector and more: Paolo Beretta (Salumificio Fratelli Beretta), Ottavio Missoni (Missoni SpA), Giacomo Buffa (Terre Alte), Sebastiano Peluso (Discovery Italy) and Letizia Airos and Francesca di Matteo of Your Italian Hub, who manage project communcation.

Not only entrepreneurs join the cause, but even well-known names of show business and basketball stars as Antonello Riva (ex Italian National, Cantù and Milan), and Chris McNealy (ex NY Knicks), two champions that, in addition their big experience, will drag marketing and communication activities that will be realized along the championship.

The first match has been played on the 5th of February at 12.30 pm, in the prestigious Barclays Center of Brooklyn Nets and will challenge the national of Bastketartisti and IBBL Nyc Dream Team.

Among Basketartisti players that entered the field, there will be the champion Antonello Riva, the artistic director of Virgin Radio Italia Dj Ringo, Sky Sport journalist Stefano Meloccaro, influencer and player Valentina Vignali, actors Roberto Ciufoli and Stefano Noi, and the DJ of Radio 105 Pippo Palmieri. All trained from Joe Bastianich, coach for this occasion. 

On the other side, Ottavio Missoni has been both player and coach of IBBL Nyc Dream Team with a squad of players that included, in addiction to the entrepreneurs above mentioned, Ezio Burani of QNY Creative and Federico Perendin of Il Pastificio.

The Italian Brands Basketball League regular season will continue in NY playgrounds with monthly matches that will be held in different Big Apple neighborhoods.

At the end of each game, moments of networking will follow, with dinners and meetings that will allow Italian companies to continue to team up, exchanging marketing and communication ideas and suggestions to promote Made in Italy brands in the USA.

Obviously in 100per100 Italian restaurants of New York.