High fashion and NBA join forces for Louis Vuitton championship trophy case

NBA players have become fashion icons with their pregame attire, attendance at Fashion Week shows throughout the world and photo shoots in fashion mags.

So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the NBA teamed up with luxurious fashion house Louis Vuitton to create the league's first travel case for the Larry O'Brien Trophy, the league announced Wednesday.

"It is a unique first partnership for us and the first partnership of this kind for Louis Vuitton with a North American sports league," NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum told USA TODAY Sports. "They have a history over the last decade or so of doing this kind of trophy case for some of the other big global sports like the FIFA World Cup trophy, the Roland Garros and Davis Cup trophies, the Rugby World Cup, but this is the first time they are partnering with a North American sports league to do this."

"We obviously, in our global travels, see these kinds of things, and we’re always looking to partner with these world renown companies to create programs that help us connect with our fans and grow the game," Tatum said. "We said what a great opportunity to have them do what they’ve been doing internationally for the Larry O’Brien Trophy."

Louis Vuitton also plans to create original storytelling content around the trophy and case.