Swiss luxury watch brand Hublot today announced a partnership with basketball all-star Dwyane Wade of the NBA’s Miami HEAT.

NBA Champion, NBA Finals MVP, Olympic Gold Medalist, seven-time NBA All-Star and pioneering fund raiser for children’s charities, Wade’s collaboration with Hublot represents a strengthening of the brand’s ties to professional athletics and in particular, basketball, a sport that to no small degree has become a global phenomenon thanks to the talent, passion and drive of its most celebrated players.

Wade joins the select group of Hublot ambassadors, true legends in their own time and discipline: Jet Li in martial arts and cinema, Diego Maradona and Manchester United in football, Maria Riesch, Bode Miller and Dario Cologna in skiing, Ayrton Senna’s family in Formula 1, and Facundo Pieres in polo.

“I am honored to join the esteemed list of Hublot ambassadors, an international collection of the best in sports,” said Wade. “Hublot and I share a common commitment to excellence, which I strive for on the court, and they express on countless wrists of the world’s most fashionable.”

“When I first met Dwyane, I was in awe of the energy and drive he exuded, not just because of his incredible presence and performance on the court, but also in the way he spoke of the Wade’s World Foundation and the goals he nurtures for supporting community-based organizations, promoting education, health and social skills for kids in at-risk situations. It’s when people reach beyond what a special talent helps them achieve that their true character is revealed. I’m particularly proud our paths met and it’s an honor to team up with Dwyane,” says Jean-Claude Biver, CEO of Hublot. “Working with Dwyane and his foundation also comes naturally to Hublot because we’re already partners with Bode Miller and his Turtle Ridge Foundation, with the Instituto Ayrton Senna as well as Unicef and the Manchester United Foundation. After all, sharing a passion for time is also about making time count,” Biver adds.

Wade is that rare fusion of skill, strength and style that creates pure magic on the basketball court, pushing the envelope of physics in a blur of speed and fluidity that never fails to amaze those who share a passion for basketball. His achievements in the NBA are legendary, and his leadership of the US Basketball team in winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 is only one of many highlights in his astonishing career.