Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. and one Detroit Pistons player recently teamed to promote the Assurance TripleTred in a unique fashion.
Pistons guard Richard Hamilton had his tightly braided hair woven into the TripleTred tread pattern prior to Saturday night's home game against the New York Knicks. The publicity stunt was picked up by the MSG (Madison Square Garden) Network, which showed a split screen of the actual tire and Hamilton's tread head.
Goodyear was looking for an appropriate player with whom to partner, and found him in Hamilton.
According to Ed Markey, Goodyear's vice president of North American Tire public relations, Hamilton fit the bill in many ways.
* He plays for the reigning NBA champion Pistons.
* The team is coached by a former Goodyear employee, Larry Brown (who worked and played basketball for Goodyear in 1964).
* Hamilton is an all-star caliber, superbly conditioned player and upstanding NBA citizen.
There also is the "Detroit connection" with the automotive industry.
The promotion was planned as a one-time event. However, Hamilton intends to wear the pattern for a couple more games, according to Markey. "It's going to be in tomorrow when (the Pistons) visit the White House."
The Pistons won the game, 91-61. Hamilton scored a game-high 18 points.
