Toyota Partners With NBA Star Chris Paul - Photos Available

CHICAGO, Sept. 20 -- Toyota, the world's second-largest automaker, announced the partnership with Chris Paul, star point guard for the NBA New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets and 2005-06 T-Mobile Rookie of The Year. The announcement was made at the Toyota-sponsored Celebrity Bowling Tournament during Paul's inaugural Winston-Salem Weekend, a fundraiser for his charitable organization, the CP3 Foundation.

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The deal will cover the athlete's appearances and use of his likeness in Toyota events and programs throughout the NBA season. The relationship between Toyota and Chris Paul, who also was named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People," started last year as he participated in several Toyota- sponsored initiatives, including the NBA All-Star Weekend and the NBA TV program "Moving Forward Moments."

This partnership is in line with Toyota's partnership with the NBA and commitment to support those who serve the community. As part of the agreement, Toyota became a major sponsor of "Chris Paul's Winston-Salem Weekend" to benefit the CP3 Foundation. Paul started the foundation in an effort to give back to his hometown of Winston-Salem, NC.

The Winston-Salem Weekend is the CP3 Foundation's first major fundraising initiative and proceeds will be donated to the Nathaniel Jones Scholarship Fund. The fund, named in honor of Paul's late grandfather, will award a student from local Forsyth County with a scholarship to attend Wake Forest University.

"The ultimate goal is to help youth achieve the dream of going to college," said Paul. "With support from Toyota, the CP3 Foundation will offer full scholarships to hard-working and deserving individuals from the Winston- Salem community."

"Athletes like Chris Paul are what Toyota is all about. Chris is one of today's top performers in professional basketball, yet he still finds time for philanthropic efforts," said Steve Jett, Toyota National Advertising Manager. "We're proud to partner with someone who has such strong integrity and is actively committed to the community. Chris has been great to work with, and we look forward to doing more great things with him during the upcoming NBA season."

About Toyota

Toyota established operations in the United States in 1957 and currently operates ten manufacturing plants including one under construction. There are more than 1,400 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealerships in the U.S., which sell more than 2 millions vehicles a year. Toyota directly employs more than 32,000 people in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $13 billion, including sales and manufacturing operations, research and development, financial services and design.

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