26 Seconds Campaign to Present the 2012 NBA Development League All-Star Game in Orlando

Game Shot Clock Will Be Extended to 26 Seconds To Align with the State Farm Public Awareness Campaign Addressing the Nation's Dropout Crisis

New York, NY/Bloomington, IL, (February 7, 2012) – The NBA Development League (NBA D-League) and State Farm® today announced that the 26 Seconds campaign will present the 2012 NBA D-League All-Star Game. The campaign's goal is to increase the high school graduation rate. The shot clock during this game will be extended to 26 seconds in order to drive awareness to the fact that a student drops out of high school every 26 seconds in America.

State Farm launched the 26 Seconds campaign to address the dropout issue by empowering teens to not only be aware of this startling statistic, but to make a personal commitment to graduate. The campaign's message to teens is to “BSEEN, BHEARD, BYOU and BMOR (be more) than this statistic.” The campaign is supported by the education community, particularly the America's Promise Alliance, and NBA All-Star LeBron James.

For years State Farm has provided funding and corporate resources to proactively work with leading educational organizations and local communities to address the dropout problem by creating viable, sustainable solutions.

“It's going to take all of us working together to change the dropout statistic and help young people choose to stay in school. Engaging young people as active participants in this national conversation is critically important and we're pleased that the NBA has integrated the 26 Seconds campaign into NBA All-Star 2012,” said Edward B. Rust Jr., Chairman and CEO State Farm.

The sixth NBA D-League All-Star Game presented by 26 Seconds will take place at NBA Jam Session Center Court at the Orange County Convention Center on Saturday, Feb. 25, broadcast live on NBA TV at 2 p.m. ET. As part of presenting the 2012 NBA D-League All-Star Game, the 26 Seconds campaign will have prominent exposure throughout Center Court at the NBA All-Star Jam Session. State Farm will also present the MVP Award to the game's most valuable player during a postgame ceremony.

“We're very excited to work together with the 26 Seconds campaign to bring awareness, in an innovative way, to an issue that is of crucial importance for the future of our youth,” said NBA D-League President Dan Reed. “This initiative is a natural fit with our mission of development both on and off-the-court, and we're proud to use our game to deliver the message that completing high school is of the utmost importance.”

Via 26seconds.com and its BMOR Project on Facebook, 26 Seconds encourages high school students to be more (BMOR) than a statistic by pledging to stay in school and offers online activities and resources. New activities and prize opportunities are launched on the 26th of each month. Students can go online to complete activities and enter to win the grand prize, an end-of-the-year celebration to be held in their community. Additionally, this issue and campaign are currently being promoted nationally in a TV commercial and referenced in a BoostUp.org PSA from the Ad Council.

About 26 Seconds

Presented by State Farm, the 26 Seconds Campaign uses music, sports, video, online activities and prize opportunities to engage students via facebook.com/26seconds and 26seconds.com. The campaign's BMOR Project offers monthly activities and prize opportunities for teens, 13-19 years, who pledge to BMOR than the statistic and complete the school year. New activities are introduced on the 26th day of each month to help students discover new interests, set goals and be more (BMOR) than a statistic. The campaign encourages students to “BSEEN, BHEARD, BYOU and BMOR,” by expressing their feelings on the dropout issue, creatively sharing their talents and encouraging their peers to make graduation a priority. The campaign has the support of 15 national America's Promise member organizations and LeBron James. 26 Seconds is one of many education initiatives that State Farm has supported for more than two decades. Its partnership with America's Promise Alliance strongly focuses on improving the high school graduate rate through the GradNation campaign.

About the NBA Development League

The NBA Development League, founded in 2001, is the NBA's official minor league. Featuring 16 teams with direct affiliations to NBA franchises, the NBA D-League is a proven developer of talent: 23 percent of players in the NBA at the conclusion of the 2010-11 season boasted NBA D-League experience, and the league continues to develop coaches, referees, and front-office staff for the NBA and its teams. In fostering the league's connection to the community, its teams, players and staff promote health and wellness, support local needs and interests, and assist in educational development through NBA D-League Cares programs. The NBA D-League also advances the game of basketball as the research and development arm of the NBA. Throughout the league's 10th season, fans could watch all NBA D-League games on NBA FUTURECAST, the free live Web-streaming initiative found at nba.com/futurecast.

About State Farm®

State Farm and its affiliates are the largest provider of car insurance in the U.S. and is a leading insurer in Canada. In addition to providing auto insurance quotes, their 17,800 agents and more than 65,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts – more than 79 million auto, home, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. Commercial auto insurance, along with coverage for renters, business owners, boats and motorcycles, is also available. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No. 43 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit http://www.statefarm.com or in Canada http://www.statefarm.ca.