Chinese computer maker Lenovo Group signed a multi-year marketing deal with the National Basketball Association, making it the "Official PC Partner of the NBA" with marketing rights in both the US and China, the Wall Street Journal reported. The deal comes as Lenovo is in the early stages of weaning itself of the IBM brand name, which it acquired last year when it purchased the company's PC division for $1.25 billion. As part of the deal with IBM, Lenovo earned the right to use the brand name until 2010 but it cannot use IBM's name in marketing campaigns. The NBA deal is the latest in a series of sports partnerships for the company. Last summer, Lenovo signed Ronaldinho to a campaign pegged to the World Cup. Lenovo will also sponsor the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing.