Recently I spent a few days with Denver Nuggets star Carmelo Anthony in China. Anthony was part of the "Yao/Nash" charity basketball game effort in Beijing that raised $2.5M for several children's charities. It was nice to see Melo, who I got to know during his days as a high school player when he was playing on the Nike summer circuit. He was a student in the media training class I taught at Nike's All-America camp and I also spent some time with him at the Jordan Classic high school all-star game. ESPN's "The Life" followed Carmelo, Amare Stoudemire and J.J. Redick during their week in Washington DC for that game and I was with the camera crew and players every step of the way as a PR consultant for Nike.

I've always like Carmelo and publicly supported him even after he's run in to some roadblocks during his career. He's a bright guy, engaging and is one heck of a basketball player (some argue he is the best small forward on the planet right now).

Carmelo is one of those guys who enjoys his gadgets as I saw first hand on our recent trip in China. And instead of just enjoying the emerging technologies he uses, he's now actually going to invest in a company called mStation. The company mainly makes accessories for iPods and has the ability to turn around new products in a very short amount of time. For instance, when Apple recently announced a new video Nano, it meant new skins/covers for these newly designed Nanos would need to be made. mStation was on it right away. The company also makes slick speakers for iPods so if you aren't listening via your headphones, you can listen via these speakers.

My guess is that Carmelo's investment with this company will definitely pay off as long as Apple continues to update their iPods on a regular basis. At the very least, he'll get to enjoy some nice gadgets in the meantime!

Here's the official press release I received today announcing Carmelo's new role with mStation:

Carmelo Anthony Joins mStation Team,
Appearing Live on QVC September 28th   

NBA All-Star and Technology Enthusiast Signs on as Spokesperson and Investor

Paw Paw, MI – September 27, 2007 –  Carmelo Anthony is the official spokesperson and business partner of  mStation, a company whose ‘Made for iPod’ speakers have been praised for their sleek design and amazing sonic quality “I am really into quality technology and gadgets, especially when listening to my music,” said Carmelo,  “When I first saw the mStation products I thought it was really cool and slick, then when I heard it, I was really impressed.”   After two years of steady growth, Carmelo joins mStation at a ripe stage in its evolution. mStation has recently acquired iPod accessory brand ‘mophie’ and is slated to launch several great new products in the coming months. “I am thrilled to be joining mStation ,” added Carmelo.  “I love the current product line, but what really excited me was seeing some of the products they are developing for the future.”  Carmelo will be appearing live this Friday evening on the QVC’s ‘Made for iPod’ Show.  This will be the first of many appearances by Carmelo as the new company spokesperson. The deal was negotiated by Carmelo’s representation at BDA Sports Management and the executives at mStation. 

“We have created a great partnership here,” said Marc Salsberry, Creative/Marketing/PR Director of mStation who was a critical figure in securing the deal with Carmelo. “It is rare that a company spokesperson also has a vested interest in the business.  Of the many iPod accessory companies in this billion dollar ecosystem, Carmelo chose mStation.  For a talented athlete and well-known celebrity to invest in mStation truly shows how far we have come.  We are extremely proud to have him as our company spokesperson.  He represents great strength, style and drive and we share the same vision.” 

For more information on mStation, please visit www.mstation.com
For more information on Carmelo Anthony, please visit www.carmeloanthony.com

About mStation
Out of the gate, mStation was praised for its cool Industrial Design, and its amazing Sonic Quality. mStation was recently awarded “Best Product: Digital Home” at Retail Vision (Denver, CO) a Gartner Event where Decision-Makers from Top 100-Level merchants responsible for offering products and services to the consumer market meet and critical retail merchandising decisions are made. mStation products can be found in Apple Specialist Stores and retailers across the country. mStation products can also be found in select retail outlets in both Canada and Mexico.

About Carmelo Anthony
After only one year playing at Syracuse University , Carmelo was considered by many to be one of the most memorable college basketball players in NCAA history.   As a freshman, he led the Orangemen to their first ever NCAA Men’s Basketball championship in 2003. He led the team in scoring, rebounding, minutes played, field goals made and attempted and free throws made and attempted. Melo also earned the NCAA Tournament's Final Four MVP honors.  Having already accomplished everything he set out to do in his collegiate career, Melo decided to declare for the 2003 NBA Draft where he was chosen 3rd by the Denver Nuggets.  Melo’s success has been well documented on the court with an appearance in this year’s All-Star game and leading the Denver Nuggets to the playoffs every year since he’s joined the league.  His success on the court, along with his charismatic personality and contagious smile, has made him one of the most recognizable athletes on and off the hardwood.  Melo has applied these qualities towards several charitable endeavors including participating in a recent charity basketball game organized by Yao Ming and Steve Nash held in Beijing.  Carmelo also recently helped break ground on the new practice facility at his alma mater, Syracuse University. His $3 million contribution is one of the largest charitable contributions made by a professional athlete to a school or university.