ZTE USA teams up with NBA team for charity drive

ZTE USA and the NBA's Golden State Warriors are giving back to the community.

They held a community phone drive outside the basketball arena in Oakland, California, on Tuesday to encourage the fans to donate used cellphones to the youth in the San Francisco Bay Area. The phone drive is part of the WarriorsCommunity Foundation's Hoops for Kids program.

ZTE USA, a subsidiary of China's smart phone giant ZTE Corp, also looked to expand awareness of its brand on the West Coast through its partnership with the Warriors. ZTE USA, the fourth-largest smartphone manufacturer in the United States, unveiled a new logo and tagline before ZTE Title Nightat Oracle Arena.

"ZTE was founded on the premise of bringing technology to the underserved, a core value that is an important part of our role as the official smartphone sponsor of the Golden State Warriors," said Cheng Lixin, chairman and CEO of ZTE USA.

"Through partnerships with like-minded brands such as the Warriors, we are able to not only introduce great devices to new audiences and fans in critical markets, but also demonstrate our commitment to serving their local communities," Cheng said.

"Tonight's phone drive allows for our fans to join us and ZTE in bringing technology and smiles to Bay Area youth," said Chip Bowers, chief marketing officers for the Warriors.

"We're excited to continue our relationship with ZTE and further give back to the Bay Area community into 2015."

The phone drive is not the first collaboration between ZTE and NBA teams. In October,ZTE announced it would become the official smartphone sponsor of the Warriors, New York Knicks and Houston Rockets.

ZTE USA, headquartered in Richardson, Texas, provides devices to every major US-based carrier.

zilian@chinadailyusa.com