Chinese shoe and apparel company Anta has signed Rockets G Steve Francis to a shoe contract, according to Jonathan Feigen of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Francis: "I'll be pretty much the first American basketball player that endorses this product." Anta VP Andy Mao hopes Francis' shoe will be available in China in January, and that the company's products will be on sale in the U.S. in three or four years. Mao also indicated that Rockets F Luis Scola is "under consideration to endorse Anta" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 10/18). Cavaliers G Damon Jones has an endorsement deal with China-based shoe company Li Ning (THE DAILY).
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| James Tours LBJ Museum In Shanghai |
CHINESE KING: The Cavaliers and Magic are playing exhibition games in China this week, and Nike "converted a Shanghai art gallery into a LeBron James showroom," called the "LBJ Museum." It includes three-on-three games on a shellacked basketball court, as well as James' childhood photos, high school jerseys and old Nike shoes. Nike also unveiled the latest version of James' shoe, marking the second time the company has launched a new version of his signature shoe in China instead of the U.S. James said, "You would never think that you could have your face somewhere else where you don't even live" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 10/17).
SPANNING THE GLOBE: NBA President of Global Marketing Partnerships & Int'l Business Operations Heidi Ueberroth said of expanding the league's brand in China, "The potential here is tremendous. We feel like we've just scratched the surface." In Orlando, Tim Povtak noted NBA merchandise is being sold "at more than 50,000 retail outlets" throughout China, and "almost 400 million branded NBA products" have been purchased in the country since the beginning of the '06-07 season. A 50% increase in merchandise sales "is being predicated for this year," and Spalding expects more than 1 million of its basketballs will be sold in China. Fifty-one TV stations in China will air NBA games this season (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 10/17).
