WNBA Fans To Vote For 2003 WNBA All-Star Game MVP From Their Verizon Wireless Phones

NEW YORK and BEDMINSTER, NJ — WNBA fans with Verizon Wireless' two-way text messaging capable phones will have the opportunity to vote — and have it count — towards selecting the MVP of the 2003 WNBA All-Star Game to be played at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Saturday, July 12, beginning at 4 p.m. ET and airing live on ABC television.

Right now, fans can pre-register for the wireless voting directly from their Verizon Wireless phones by sending the TXT message "MVP" to "9622" (WNBA). Fans can also log on and pre-register for the voting on WNBA.com. Once the MVP candidates have been selected during the second half of the WNBA All-Star Game, the ballot will be sent directly to all pre-registrants' phones. Fans that do not have a chance to pre-register can send the TXT message "MVP" to "9622" (WNBA) from their Verizon Wireless phones during the game, or can simply log on and cast their ballots on WNBA.com.

All votes received through Verizon Wireless' TXT messaging and WNBA.com will be calculated in real time and will count towards the overall voting for the award.

WNBA.com's extensive coverage of the 2003 WNBA All-Star Game will also include complete photo galleries, live chats with All-Star players and coaches, a history section of past WNBA All-Star games, video highlights through the WNBA Broadband Season Pass, and more.

About Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless is the nation's leading provider of wireless communications. The company has the largest nationwide wireless voice and data network and 33.3 million customers. Headquartered in Bedminster, NJ, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ) and Vodafone (NYSE and LSE: VOD). Find more information on the Web at www.verizonwireless.com.  

About the WNBA
The WNBA is celebrating the fifth anniversary of the WNBA All-Star Game in 2003 by returning to its inaugural site, New York City. This year, the All-Star Game makes its broadcast debut on ABC at 4:00 p.m. EDT, following the All-Star pregame Show on ESPN2 at 3:30 p.m. Fans may purchase tickets to the game by calling 1-877-WNBA-TIX, through all Ticketmaster outlets, online at WNBA.com and ticketmaster.com, and at the Madison Square Garden box office. Ticket prices start at $10. More WNBA games will be telecast nationally than ever before with games airing on ABC, ESPN2, Oxygen, Telemundo and NBA TV, and WNBA game telecasts will be carried in over 183 countries internationally. A record 2,362,430 fans attended WNBA games during the 2002 season, resulting in an average attendance increase for the second straight season. For more information, please visit WNBA.com.

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