Denver Nuggets Basketball Player To Appear in U.N. Agency PSA Campaign on HIV/AIDS Prevention, Education

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on Tuesday announced that NBA basketball player Nene Hilario is set to appear in a new public service announcement to help increase awareness about HIV prevention and education, according to a UNODC release. The 30-second advertisement, which is scheduled to debut later this month and will be shown in several countries throughout the world, will be produced by the NBA in conjunction with UNODC and will air during NBA games and other programming. The spot features Hilario, who plays for the Denver Nuggets and is a native of Brazil, urging people to participate in HIV/AIDS prevention and educate themselves and others about the disease. In both the Spanish- and Portuguese-language versions of the PSA, Hilario says, "In life -- as in basketball -- you need to make smart choices. Using condoms and not sharing needles are intelligent decisions that can help you live a longer, healthier life." The PSA is part of the agency's "Sports Against Drugs" campaign, which uses sports to "provide youth a positive life choice and to promote a healthy lifestyle free from drugs." UNODC Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa said, "We need more role models, like Nene Hilario and other NBA players and athletes that have participated in UNODC's Sports Against Drugs campaign, who love sports and want to communicate the dangers of abusing drugs to young people around the world" (UNODC release, 4/9).