On June 25, New York City Sports Commissioner Kenneth J. Podziba and New York City Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities Commissioner Matthew Sapolin will welcome the NBA Cares Basketball Clinic for Special Olympic athletes to John Jay College. The clinic will feature NBA Draft prospects such as Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley and Kevin Love teaching shooting, passing and dribbling techniques to 60 Special Olympics athletes. The one-hour event will begin at 3:00pm.

"It brings me great pleasure to witness the NBA's future stars sharing their love of basketball with Special Olympians," said Commissioner Podziba. "The lessons learned on the basketball court - teamwork, sportsmanship and the value of a positive attitude - are easily applied to every aspect of life. All of the athletes participating in this clinic will inspire one another to reach new heights both on and off the court."

Other top NBA Draft prospects expected to participate include Brook Lopez, O.J. Mayo, Jerryd Bayless, Eric Gordon, Danilo Gallinari, Joe Alexander, Darrell Arthur, DeAndre Jordan, Anthony Randolph, Russell Westbrook and D.J. Augustin. NBA Hall of Famer Bob Lanier and Special Olympics athlete Matthew Schuster will co-emcee the event.

"The partnership created by Special Olympics and NBA Cares will hopefully set an example for all sports entities and industry leaders by promoting full participation by all," said Commissioner Sapolin. "The impact that the professional athletes will have on the Special Olympians, coupled with the tremendous dedication to competition embodied by both groups, will be felt by all in attendance."

Each year, the NBA conducts a community event with their top draft prospects as part of NBA Cares' continuing mission of giving back to the community. This is the second consecutive year that the NBA has selected Special Olympics as their partner.

"The NBA and NBA CARES have been great friends to the mission and the athletes of Special Olympics for years," said Neal J. Johnson, President and CEO of Special Olympics New York. "This opportunity yet again demonstrates their commitment to our programs and to the communities that both host NBA franchises and enjoy the game the league provides for the enjoyment of all."

After each NBA prospect is introduced, representatives from the NBA and Special Olympics will address the audience. The athletes will then be divided into groups which will participate in a skills and drills clinic before the event concludes with a photo and autograph session. Each Special Olympian will walk away from the event with an autographed souvenir.

The NBA Cares basketball clinic will be held on the fourth floor gymnasium at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, located at 899 Tenth Avenue (between 57th and 58th Street).

The NBA Draft will take place at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden on June 26 at 7:00pm.

Special Olympics New York - More than 40,000 individuals with intellectual disabilities (ranging from Down syndrome, Autism and Cerebral Palsy, to other disabilities) participate in programs provided by Special Olympics New York, Inc. (SONY) Through year-round sports training and competition, SONY offers continuing opportunities for athletes to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage and experience the joy of achievement. Athletes train and compete in nine regions across New York State. This is accomplished with a network of 25,000 dedicated volunteers, including more that 4,000 certified coaches. SONY offers a statewide, three season program encompassing more than 400 events annually. SONY achieves its goal through quality sports training in 23 Olympic-style sports. Athletes can advance from local events to regional, state, national, and international competitions and train in 23 Olympic-style sports. All training and competitions are cost-free to the athletes, their families and caregivers.

NBA Cares is the league's social responsibility initiative that builds on the NBA's long tradition of addressing important social issues in the United States and around the world. Launched in October of 2005, NBA Cares, through the teams, current and former players, and the league office, has contributed 302,000 hours of hands-on service to the community, raised more than $50 million for charity, and created 171 places where kids and families can live, learn or play. NBA Cares works with internationally-recognized youth-serving programs that support education, youth and family development, and health-related causes, including: UNICEF; Reading Is Fundamental; Habitat for Humanity; Boys & Girls Clubs of America; Feed the Children, Special Olympics, KaBOOM!, Make-A-Wish Foundation, and many others.

Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities serves as a liaison between City government and disabled individuals and organizations representing or serving New Yorkers with disabilities. The Office works with City agencies to make sure that the particular needs of People with Disabilities are considered in the development of City policies, programs, and services.

The New York City Sports Commission is the mayoral agency charged with attracting, facilitating and promoting professional, amateur and scholastic sports events in New York City. In recent years, the Sports Commission has played a role in creating or developing many new sporting events, including the NFL Kickoff Live from Times Square, NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series™ Champions Week, the BMC Software NYC Cycling Championship, the AVP Brooklyn Open, the NAUTICA NYC Triathlon, the NYC Half-Marathon, the Union Square Street Sessions presented by Jeep®, the Wild Onion Urban Adventure Race and the Men's Health Urbanathlon.