Jeremy Lin Lands Endorsement Deal With Volvo

By Ivana Kvesic, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Jeremy Lin has landed a two-year contract to serve as the face of the Volvo Car Corporation, it was announced in New York on Monday.

The emerging New York Knicks star signed the contract with the car company to serve as a "brand ambassador" where his marketing efforts will focus primarily on the U.S. and Chinese language markets in Asia.

"I'm here to proudly announce Mr. Jeremy Lin, the rising NBA star and world recognized athlete, will become Volvo Car Corporation's brand ambassador," Freeman Shen, senior vice president of Volvo Car Corporation, announced at Monday's press conference.

"Jeremy excited the world with his miraculous performance and breakthrough on the basketball court," Shen said. "Jeremy Lin embodies a lot of shared values with Volvo Car Corporation being smart, nimble, driven and focused, progressive and strong in every sense."

"This is a very significant moment for Volvo Car Corporation," Shen added. "For our region, Jeremy Lin is the pride of the whole Chinese population, and we are excited to work with him.

The deal, which was one of the first major deals for the rising basketball star and Harvard grad, will see Lin appear in advertising segments for the brand.

The young star was on hand at Monday's press conference to explain why he chose to partner with Volvo.

"I want to thank everyone for coming out here today. Obviously its very exciting for me to be part of the Volvo cars brand company and to be an ambassador for them," Lin said, as he explained that the foundation, fundamentals, quality, affordability, and continued progress of the company were his reasons for choosing to be Volvo's brand ambassador.

"At the end of the day this was a great decision and a great match for me, and hopefully I can along with Volvo inspire young kids to purse their dreams," he added.

Lin was born in Los Angeles to parents who immigrated to the United States from Taiwan in the 70s. A majority of Lin's ancestors appear to have come from Taiwan, but his maternal grandmother came from Mainland China's Zhejiang province.

As one of the few Asian-Americans in NBA history, Lin has made a huge splash not only in the United States, but also across Asia for rising up out of obscurity to playing a breakout 25-point game against the New Jersey Nets in February.

He is also well known for his candid public expressions of his Christian faith.