Professional basketball players partnering with Asian footwear brands

The fallout following a recent tweet from a leading basketball team's general manager has displayed how much impact China has on professional basketball.

After the executive posted his support for protestors in Hong Kong, there were perhaps unforeseen consequences. These ranged from a public apology issued by the organisation to rumours that the general manager's position was in jeopardy — though those were later refuted.

Meanwhile, the Chinese basketball association suspended all ties with the team in question and cancelled an upcoming scrimmage involving their development league affiliate.

Several Chinese companies chose to distance themselves from the organisation, including a major state-owned bank, a national broadcaster, a leading streaming platform and a financial technology company.

Perhaps the most notable withdrawal, at least for basketball fans, came from a prominent Chinese sportswear company that cut its ties with the team entirely.

There may still be other Chinese apparel companies that could take a similar approach. Asian sneaker brands have a significant share of endorsements and partnerships with several players across the league.

One notable example involves a three-time championship winning guard who first signed an endorsement deal with a Chinese sportswear company in 2012, leaving two major Western brands behind to sign a reported ten million dollar contract. He later agreed to a lifetime partnership with the same company in 2018.