NEW YORK -

While he invests in the talents of LeBron James on the basketball court, Dan Gilbert has been investing off the court in Vroom.

And on Tuesday, the online auto retailer got another assist from the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Vroom has teamed up with Rock Connections, a sales and marketing agency owned by Gilbert, for the latter to provide sales and customer support to Vroom’s customers, Vroom said in a news release.

The online retailer will utilize Rock Connections’ Detroit-based sales center.

“Rock Connections began operations just a few short years ago and has grown to nearly 1,000 full-time team members in the heart of downtown Detroit,” said Gilbert, who is the chairman and founder of Quicken Loans and Rock Connections, in a news release.

“The women and men of this impressive, high-energy business, many who were born and raised in the city, provide the kind of quality service and experience for our customers that you would be hard-pressed to find anywhere,” Gilbert said.

“If there are two things we know well in Detroit, it's cars and online consumer-facing platforms for large, important transactions like home loans, personal loans, health insurance and more,” he said. “Partnering with Vroom to help grow and support its exciting and unique model of purchasing cars online, with an experience that clearly feels much better than existing car purchasing methods, couldn't be a more perfect fit. We can't wait to get started on the Vroom account from right here in the Motor City.”

Vroom allows consumers to buy cars directly online and have them shipped to their homes. The company also provides private-seller acquisition services. Gilbert invested in Vroom’s Series F round last month — when the company announced a $76 million round of funding that brought its total equity funding up to $295 million — and he has been an investor with the company since 2015.  

Rock Connections’ partnership with Vroom begins in the fourth quarter. It will have full-time contact center representatives specifically for the Vroom account operating out of its downtown Detroit headquarters.

“While Vroom is first and foremost an e-commerce company, many of our customers appreciate the opportunity to speak with someone during and after the purchase of their car,” Vroom chief executive Paul Hennessy said in a news release.

“By partnering with Rock Connections, we can ensure that our clients receive immediate responses, while also providing the expert advice that Vroom customers demand.”