Golden State Warriors will prepare for Game 6 of the NBA Finals without starting center Andrew Bogut.

Bogut avoided a major knee injury after a mid-air collision with J.R. Smith in Game 5 but he will nonetheless miss the rest of the NBA Finals.

Luckily Bogut will not require surgery, however he is projected to be out from six to eight weeks. With a normal recovery regime Bogut should be back at 100% when it comes time to don the green and gold for Rio.

As Bogut’s focus turn’s to getting back on court for Australia’s national team it was announced that Coca-Cola owned energy drink Powerade has made the Australian NBA star it’s spokesman for its new Olympics marketing push.

This year marks the 24th year of the Powerade brand, with it’s debut year 1992 coincidentally being the same year a team of NBA stars (and one college player) changed basketball forever at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.

Powerade will be the official sports drink of the Rio Olympics, an event set to be the most viewed sports event in the world.

Bogut who has played for the Australian national team twice (2004 and 2008) will appear prominently in television commercials, print advertising and on impactful point of sale merchandise.

As Powerade’s official Olympic Games ambassador his image will be featured on the packaging of a limited edition new flavour, Mandarin.

 

“I’m excited to be part of the Powerade Olympic Games campaign. The brand has always had a close association with the Games and is synonymous with promoting the importance of hydration during sport. My kit-bag will be well stocked with Powerade ION4 throughout the Games to keep me going – hopefully all the way to the finals!” Bogut said Jon response to the announcement.

Sonja McCarthy, Powerade’s Brand Manager said

 

“Powerade has been synonymous with sporting excellence since it was launched at the Barcelona 1992 Olympic Games and it has been keeping athletes hydrated ever since! Our goal now is to inspire our athletes to perform to their best at Rio.

 

“The Rio 2016 Olympic Games represents the biggest event in the world with the London 2012 Olympic Games drawing 3.6 billion viewers. This time round, we want to capitalise on these figures by reaching consumers in creative and impactful ways through a significant marketing campaign which includes out partnership with NBA champion Andrew Bogut. It’s an exciting occasion for Powerade and we hope to capture the attention of consumers and inspire the nation, just as our athletes will as they compete in Rio.”

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