NEW YORK and RANCHO CUCAMONGA, Calif. – Kumho Tire, one of the world’s leading tire manufacturers, and the National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced a new multiyear marketing partnership that will make Kumho Tire the official tire of the NBA and NBA Development League (NBA D-League) in the U.S. and South Korea.  This is the first official tire partnership for both leagues and is Kumho Tire’s first partnership with a U.S. sports league.

As part of this partnership, Kumho Tire will have an array of unique branding during NBA All-Star in New Orleans, providing significant national exposure over the course of several nights. Kumho Tire will also be the presenting partner of the NBA D-League All-Star Game.

The NBA D-League will introduce new uniforms for its All-Star Game this year and Kumho Tire will have its logo prominently featured on the jerseys.  Kumho Tire will have oncourt brand decals, be integrated across social and digital media assets, and have branding on courtside signage, pole pads, and stanchions during the NBA D-League All-Star Game.  Kumho Tire also will be the presenting partner of the NBA FIT Court at NBA All-Star Jam Session.

“Our new partnership with Kumho Tire will tip off in a big way at NBA All-Star, as we will be showcasing our new alliance during one of the most exciting times of the year,” said Emilio Collins, NBA Senior Vice President, Global Marketing Partnerships.  “Kumho Tire is a global brand, and we are looking forward to creating programs that will engage fans of both the NBA and NBA D-League through new themed advertising, custom content, and activities at marquee league events throughout the season.”

“Kumho Tire could not be more excited to explore new horizons with such a formidable entity as the NBA,” commented Harry Choi, President and CEO of Kumho Tire North America.  “Kumho Tire has most recently spent our efforts on building an even stronger foundation with our industry partners.  We are confident this partnership with the NBA will showcase a new leaf for Kumho Tire that we are here to be aggressive competitors, supportive industry partners to our dealers and distributors, as well as a high-quality and recognizable brand amongst consumers.  Kumho Tire is proud to be a part of the NBA family, cheering on our favorite teams, and we look forward to the exponential gain both our companies will obtain through this new venture.”

During the NBA Playoffs, Kumho Tire will present the “NBA Playoffs Playbacks” series on NBA TV.  “NBA Playoffs Playbacks presented by Kumho Tire” will replay the most exciting and compelling matchups from the NBA Playoffs in a condensed 60-minute format, giving fans access to the best Playoffs games. Kumho Tire will also receive national exposure through courtside signage throughout the season, and will develop NBA-themed advertising.

About Kumho Tire
Founded in 1960, Kumho Tire has more than 50 years of history steeped in innovation in management, technical development and environmental awareness that has positioned the Company as one of the world’s top 10 tire manufacturers. Distributed in 160 countries, Kumho is dedicated to providing a top quality driving experience to consumers throughout the world. Headquartered in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., Kumho Tire USA is the U.S. sales, marketing, product development and distribution arm of Kumho Tire Co. Inc. For more information on Kumho Tire USA, Inc. and its products, please visit www.KumhoTireUSA.com. Follow Kumho on Facebook.com/KumhoTire and on Twitter @KumhoTireUSA.

About the NBA
The NBA is a global sports and media business built around three professional sports leagues: the National Basketball Association, the Women’s National Basketball Association, and the NBA Development League.  The league has established a major international presence with games and programming in 215 countries and territories in 47 languages and NBA merchandise for sale in more than 125,000 stores in 100 countries on 6 continents.  NBA rosters at the start of the 2013-14 season featured a record 92 international players from 39 countries and territories.  NBA Digital’s assets include NBA TV, which is available in 60 million U.S. homes, and NBA.com, which set a record last year with more than 9.5 billion page views, with more than half of all visitors originating from outside of North America.  The NBA is the No. 1 professional sports league on social media, with more than 500 million likes and followers globally across all league, team, and player platforms.  Through NBA Cares, the league and its teams and players have donated more than $230 million to charity, completed more than 2.8 million hours of hands-on community service, and created more than 860 places where kids and families can live, learn, or play.