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Dellavedova Drives Donations During 2015 NBA Finals

Darren Heitner
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Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
I cover the intersection of sports and money.
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One of the hottest players of the 2015 NBA Finals was extremely cold on the floor during Game 4.  Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova ("Delly") was 3-14 from the field in 33:24 minutes of play and only logged 10 points after scoring 20 in a Game 3 win against the Golden State Warriors.  From 3-point range, Dellavedova was an abysmal 2-9.  He hopes to improve that stat line in Game 5 when the Cavaliers go on the road to Oakland.  But most important for one group of Cavaliers fans will be Delly's ability to get to the charity stripe and knock down his free throws.

Before the tip-off for Game 4, Cleveland-based Progressive Insurance announced that it will make a $1,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland for each free-throw that Dellavedova makes throughout the rest of the 2015 NBA Finals.  Progressive put a cap of $40,000 on the charitable endeavor.

In Game 4, Dellavedova only reached the free-throw line twice, but knocked down both shots.  Thus, Progressive is currently obligated to pay $2,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland.  Through 4 NBA Finals games, Dellavedova has only attempted 9 free-throws and has sunk 6 of them.

Progressive is referring to its charitable promotion as "Delly All Heart Coverage."

"No matter where you’re from, people are noticing the heart Delly brings to the basketball court," said Glenn Renwick, Progressive’s CEO.  "He leaves it out there with every game.  And, that’s the kind of work ethic our employees bring to serving Progressive customers.  No question: we’re All-In."

Insurance companies including Progressive, Allstate and State Farm traditionally spend a significant amount of money on sports sponsorship.  In fact, the 2015 NBA Finals match-up can be considered a battle between State Farm and Progressive off of the court.  State Farm has a sweeping deal with Warriors guard Stephen Curry.  Progressive is partnered with LeBron James.  It has now added Dellavedova to its growing database of athlete endorsers.

Darren Heitner is a lawyer and the Founder of South Florida-based HEITNER LEGAL, P.L.L.C., which has a focus on Sports Law and Entertainment Law.

Darren Heitner
Darren Heitner