DHL has delivered the Larry O'Brien Trophy, awarded to the National Basketball Association (NBA) champions each year, to several cities in the region as part of the US basketball league's summer Asia tour.

The trophy, transported by DHL from the NBA's headquarters in New York to the Philippines, Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and Hong Kong, concludes its swing around Asia in Singapore this week.

The freight mover's general manager Connie Tang said: "DHL has entered into a multi-year partnership agreement with the NBA and we are the official express and logistics provider of the NBA in Asia."

Basketball fans were given an opportunity to meet rising star Marvin Williams of the Atlanta Hawks, the 2007 champion San Antonio Spurs' Silver Dancers, and "Thunder", the mascot of the Golden State Warriors during the "NBA Madness" tour.

In May, DHL concluded a logistics partnership agreement with the NBA for Asia Pacific. Future events include the NBA China Games 2007 in Shanghai and Macau, featuring the Cleveland Cavaliers, Orlando Magic and the Chinese National Team, as well as the Basketball Without Borders 2007 event, the league's largest community outreach programme.