China's top sportswear company Lining signed Monday partnership contract with Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal here, serving as another big move for Chinese brands to explore international market.
Lining, named after Chinese best-ever gymnast Li Ning, had a five-year agreement with Shaq to use his name on Lining-brand products from 2007.
A total of 320 sneakers with signature of Shaq will be put onto the Chinese market in January, with Lining Ltd. being authorized to use Shaq's image, name, signature and jersey number on a series of its products.
The details of the agreement were not disclosed during the news conference.
Lining Ltd. signed Cleveland Cavaliers' guard Damen Jones this year to become the first Chinese sportswear maker having its sneakers on the courts of the National Basketball Association.
Lining has previously signed former Houston Rockets' guard Clyde Drexler and their contract will run out in 2007.
O'Neal, who has four NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers and with the Heat, has not agreed to wear Lining shoes in NBA matches, but is ready to have his name behind Lining.
"Mr. Li Ning was one of the best athletes of the 20th century, and his company is one of the best sportswear makers of the world. I'm glad to have Lining as my partner company," said Shaq, who came to China for the first time.
Li Ning won three gold, two silver and one bronze medals at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games, one of the first Chinese winning Olympic gold medals.
Lining has become the sponsors of the Chinese Olympic delegates for four consecutive Games since 1992, and also has contract with Spain's men's basketball national team.
It lost in the sponsorship battle against Adidas for the 2008 Beijing Games in 2005, but signed the global partnership contract with the NBA.
O'Neal will have a promotion trip from Beijing to Chengdu, Southwest China, and then Shanghai until August 18.
Shaq might not have a chance to meet his former Heat teammate Wang Zhizhi, who came back to China this summer to re-join his former Chinese Basketball Association club Bayi Rockets.
Wang and Houston Rockets' center Yao Ming are with the Chinese national team in Nanjing, East China, competing at the Stankovic Continental Champions Cup as a warm-up for the upcoming world championships, which start on August 19 in Japan.
"Yao, come and see me! Wang, come and see me!" Shaq joked at the news conference.
Source: Xinhua
