According to ESPN, since the early 2000s, more than fifty NBA players have signed exclusive agreements with Chinese-branded shoes, helping to popularize basketball not only in China, but across the Asian continent. The contracts are not just about exclusivity or the creation of the athlete's own shoes, they open doors to a gigantic market, with the largest number of people and basketball players in the world.
Initially, it was difficult to fight with the likes of Jordan, Nike and Adidas, these are brands that have dominated the sport for many years, so these new Chinese logos started betting on rising athletes, the outcome of these contracts has been so positive that we gradually see a change that makes them increasingly present in the NBA. See what these brands are and the athletes that have ongoing contracts with them:
361 DEGREES
Aaron Gordon (Dever Nuggets);
Spencer Dinwiddie (Washington Wizards).
LI-NING
Dwyane Wade (retired);
Jimmy Butler (Miami Heat);
R.J. Hampton (Orlando Magic);
Udonis Haslem (Miami Heat);
CJ McCollum (Portland Trail Blazers);
D'Angelo Russell (Minnesota Timberwolves);
Fred VanVleet (Toronto Raptors).
PEAK
Andrew Wiggings (Golden State Warriors);
Lou Williams (Atlanta Hawks).
ANTA
Klay Thompson (Golden State Warriors);
Precious Achiuwa (Toronto Raptors);
Alex Caruso (Chicago Bulls);
Hamidou Diallo (Detroit Pistons);
Gordon Hayward (Charlotte Hornets);
Kevon Looney (Golden State Warriors);
Terance Mann (Los Angeles Clippers).
The list has been increasingly growing, giving opportunity to more athletes, not to mention that shoe’s technology has really improved and more people than ever around the world are wearing these brands both on and off the courts. This is a great sign of growth for these brands and consequently the real winner is the game of basketball!