National Basketball Association

Lin inks endorsement deal with Volvo

Published Mar. 19, 2012 1:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

The US arm of Swedish car brand Volvo said Monday it expects to unveil a marketing agreement with Knicks star Jeremy Lin that will cover several international markets.

Volvo Cars of North America, Volvo's sales unit based in Rockleigh, N.J., sent out invitations to a press conference in New York to "announce a dynamic marketing partnership with Jeremy Lin, the popular New York Knicks point guard."

The deal would leverage "the Swedish carmaker's sports heritage," and Lin would "help establish the brand with younger and performance-minded customers," the invitation said.

The press conference was scheduled to start at 5:00pm local time Monday, according to the invite.

It would be one of the first major corporate deals for the 23-year-old Knicks guard, who ascended from basketball benchdom to stardom earlier this year.

The US-born son of Taiwanese immigrants, Lin has captivated Chinese basketball fans, hungry for a hero since the retirement of former Houston Rockets star Yao Ming.

Lin has an agreement with Nike reached when he was a rookie that the shoemaker is moving to tap, with plans for a Lin-themed shoe.