Baron Davis inks deal with Li-Ning
Saturday, 8th November 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Los Angeles Clippers point guard Baron Davis will wear Li-Ning this season, a big marketing score for the Chinese shoe manufacturer (story in Chinese).
The Li-Ning contract replaces Davis's deal with Reebok, a brand that still has virtually no presence in China despite having Yao Ming in its clutches.
Davis' signing with Li-Ning is notable because he is an All-Star who doesn't play with a Chinese player or for a blue-chip NBA team. Since Li-Ning signed a deal with the NBA in 2005 to allow players to wear their shoes at games and other NBA events, players who put their name behind the brand have included Luis Scola of the Houston Rockets and Shaquille O'Neal, who was with the Miami Heat when he hooked up with the brand; and Lebron James' teammate, Damon Jones.
Li-Ning is not known very well outside of China, but it has the biggest market share in the sports apparel category in the mainland, well ahead of Adidas and Nike.
It made a big push for international recognition at the 2008 Olympics, outfitting teams including the Spanish national basketball team, and scoring perhaps the biggest marketing coup of the games—a high-profile appearance in the Opening Ceremonies for CEO and founder, retired gymnast Li Ning.
By signing Davis, Li-Ning is confirming what those who keep track of China's young basketball lovers already know—NBA fans here have gone far beyond Yao Ming worship, to become sophisticated followers of the entire league and all of its best players.
Li-Ning isn't the only sneaker brand working with NBA players. Peak has long used Shane Battier of the Houston Rockets as the face of its basketball gear; and after the Olympics, Peak also signed Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks.
Image: Sina.com
Tags: Baron Davis, Damon Jones, Jason Kidd, Li-Ning, Los Angeles Clippers, Luis Scola, marketing, Peak, Reebok, Shane Battier, Yao Ming
Yao quitting the Chinese national team?
Friday, 24th October 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Chinese media (beginning, reportedly, with Shanghai's Oriental Sports Daily) began reporting earlier this week that Yao Ming had announced plans to quit the Chinese national team.The center has since denied the reports to the Houston Chronicle. But his denial wasn't too forceful.
"I haven't announced that," he told the Chronicle. "I think now there is no national team and all I want to worry about is playing 82 games and the playoffs."
Yao had made comments to the Houston Chronicle before playing in his third Olympics earlier this year, indicating that this would be his last Olympic appearance. He will be almost 32 years old when the next games take place in 2012 in London. And with injuries dragging down his NBA career, including a broken foot that nearly kept him out of the Olympics, it's not much of a stretch to think the big guy might need a break.
In other Yao news, his doctor in Houston is reportedly seeing Liu Xiang next week, to see if he can help the injured hurdler.
Tags: basketball, Houston Chronicle, Liu Xiang, Olympics, Yao Ming
Yao, Yi and Sun face different pre-season challenges
Tuesday, 7th October 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
As the start of the NBA season gets closer, each of China's three NBA players--veteran Yao Ming, second-year player Yi Jianlian and rookie Sun Yue--is facing completely different challenges.Yao Ming, along with Tracy McGrady, is one of two leaders of a Houston Rockets team that's in the hunt for a long-awaited NBA title. He's also still working on completely healing from a foot fracture that ended his season 26 games early last year. A healthy and productive season for Yao is obviously a key ingredient to team success, and to his status as one of the league's premier big men.
Yi Jianlian is adjusting to his new team, the New Jersey Nets, and jetting to Paris and London for exhibition games against the Miami Heat. After getting his wish of moving to a larger market with a bigger Chinese-American population, the power forward is now vying for playing time with other talented front court players including Josh Boone, Stromile Swift, Eduardo Najera and Brook Lopez.
In Los Angeles, Lakers rookie Sun Yue is out indefinitely with mononucleosis. The illness should keep him off the court and out of the weight room for several weeks, not a good look for a player who needs some quick NBA grooming to establish himself as someone who is ready for the league.
Ironically, no Chinese nationals will be suiting up for the two pre-season games in Beijing later this month. The Golden State Warriors take on Yi's former team, the Milwaukee Bucks, in a pair of games October 15 and 18, in Guangzhou and Beijing.
Tags: Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Lakers, Milwaukee Bucks, NBA, New Jersey Nets, Sun Yue, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian
Yao on the Olympic hangover
Monday, 25th August 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
After seven years of preparation, hype and a call to "spread Olympic culture," whatever that is, China woke up this morning in a post-2008 Olympics world.Even if you live in China, it's difficult as a foreigner to understand what hosting the games really meant to many people here. The Houston Chronicle's Fran Blinebury asked Yao Ming how he feels about the party being over, and got a weighty response, including these words:
"We have spent so many years preparing for this event and now it is over. I have just played in the most important competition of my career. Is my life over?
"I know that's not true. I know that sounds silly. But I guess you have to be Chinese to understand part of that feeling now and maybe you have to be me to know it all."
"I know that's not true. I know that sounds silly. But I guess you have to be Chinese to understand part of that feeling now and maybe you have to be me to know it all."
The whole story, which essentially reads as a monologue from Yao on his thought about the games, can be found at Chron.com.
Tags: Beijing Olympics, Olympics, Yao Ming
Yao carries Chinese basketball team into quarterfinals
Sunday, 17th August 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
Liu Wei drives the lane against Spain.
China's 59-55 win over Germany last night puts the team into the quarterfinals of the Olympic tournament. With very little hope of medaling, securing a spot in the final eight was the goal the team had set for itself.
With wins over Germany and Angola and losses to Spain and the United States, China is tied for third with Greece, which lost to and beat the same teams as China. Even if Germany were to win its final game against the United States, and China lost to Greece, the two would still be in a tie, and China's victory in head-to-head competition would put them in the quarterfinals.
Yao Ming has been setting the pace, as expected, averaging just under 20 points per game. The team's next leading scorers are Liu Wei (刘炜), with 10.3, and Zhu Fangyu (朱芳雨), with 9.5 (CST would like to point out that we told you how important these two players—little known to fans outside of China—are to the team, in this post last week). Both players have gotten most of their points from long distance: Liu has knocked down 8 threes and Zhu, 10.
Yao's NBA colleague, Yi Jianlian, is averaging just 8 points a game but has been a strong defensive presence for China. Sun Yue (孙悦), who will join the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers for the 2008-2009 season, has also had a quiet performance offensively, averaging 6.5 points, but has come up with key steals and blocked shots.
China will play its last preliminary game Monday against Greece. The quarterfinals begin on Wednesday.
Related: Yes, China can beat the Dream Team
Image: Sports.nen.com
Tags: basketball, Beijing Olympics, Liu Wei, Olympics, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Zhu Fangyu
China's men lose badly to USA, women to play tonight
Monday, 11th August 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
The USA men's basketball team easily handled China last night, winning 101-70. The star-studded American team put on a dunking clinic, stealing the ball 14 times for easy fast break points. Yao Ming had a double-double--13 points and 10 rebounds. Zhu Fangyu was the second leading scorer for China with 11 points and 8 rebounds.Expect a better game tonight when the two countries' women's teams meet. Last time they played, China won 84-81, behind 26 points from point guard Miao Lijie. China played strong defense as well, forcing 18 turnovers and holding Lisa Leslie to just 10 points. In the teams' first meeting of that tournament, the USA won, 86-61.
The USA has made some personnel changes since then, most notably adding Candace Parker, the most exciting player in women's basketball right now.
Related:
China upsets USA in women's basketball
USA dishes China its first loss in basketball test tournament
Tags: basketball, Beijing Olympics, Miao Lijie, Olympics, Yao Ming, Zhu Fangyu
Yes, China can beat the Dream Team
Sunday, 10th August 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
China Sports Today editor Maggie Rauch writes a biweekly column in Chinese for the 21st Century Business Herald. Below is a translation of her column from yesterday on today's men's basketball game between China and the USA.China plays the United States in men's basketball tonight at Wukesong Arena, in what is for Chinese fans one of the most anticipated events of this Olympics. Members of the USA's "Dream Team," or "Redeem Team," have been received like rock stars since they arrived in China two weeks ago.
I have been quoted (accurately) as saying that the home team has no chance tonight, but I regret saying that. Of course China has a chance. That's why we actually play the game. To atone for my sin against the beautiful unpredictability of sports, I am going to break down a few possibilities that could help tip the scales a little in China's favor.
The Yao that we know finally returns.
Yao has given China a boost since his post-injury debut, but not the heroic performances the team requires from him if it is to pull off any upsets. He will suit up to play the USA after a week of rest and he'll also be playing for bragging rights among his NBA buddies. There is every reason to believe that Yao's strongest Olympic performance will come against the USA.
Team USA assumes Wang Zhizhi and Sun Yue (孙悦) are China's third and fourth most important players.
Among American fans, the only known names besides Yao and Yi are Wang Zhizhi, who played five seasons in the NBA, and Sun Yue, who created a bit of a stir when he was drafted by the Lakers in 2007. Wang's minutes and production have declined as Yao's have gone up, and Sun has averaged just over 4 points over the last 8 games. Either of these guys could have some good games in the Olympics, but containing veteran point guard Liu Wei (刘炜) and shooting/slashing small forward Zhu Fangyu (朱芳雨), if they are both healthy, should be higher on the U.S.'s list of priorities. How dangerous is Zhu? Watch the below video of him (wearing number 8) scoring 13 points in 3:30 to bring the Guangdong Tigers back from a 15-point deficit in the 2005 CBA Finals (Yi Jianlian is also in the video).
Lebron, Kobe and Carmelo just don't care enough.
The guys have all been saying the right things about how much it means to them to win Olympic gold. But in America, boys who swim or do gymnastics grow up dreaming of winning a gold medal. Boys who play basketball grow up dreaming of an NBA championship. And should the American team lose a few games it is expected to win, its players all have multi-million dollar contracts to comfort them.
Coach K keeps Prince on the bench.
In recent FIBA competition, both Angola and Australia disrupted China's offense with strong perimeter defense. Angola's smart and quick players kept popping up in China's passing lanes, and Australia's big guards made it hard for China to get easy shots or advance the ball toward the basket. Long-armed and defensive-minded Team USA forward Tayshaun Prince, not likely to be a starter, could really help slow down shooters and keep the ball out of the key.
China's fans give the home team an even bigger lift than they gave the women's team in April.
The USA women were heavy favorites in the finals of the Good Luck Beijing women's basketball test event in April. But when the game tipped off, the American women looked like they were ready to board the plane, while China's women, in front of a packed house at home, played like it was the most important game of their lives. Ultimately, they avenged their 20-point rout by the U.S. two days before. The men will need a really strong crowd to get a similar boost at the Olympics.
China shoots the lights out.
Okay, it's obvious. If you make a lot of baskets, you win. That's why the game is called basketball. But China has some great shooters in Zhang Qingpeng, Li Nan (李楠) and Zhu Fangyu (朱芳雨). If two of them get really hot, the whole floor opens up for China.
Maybe none of these things will happen—although I expect a strong performance from Yao Ming—but if a few of them do, we've got ourselves a game on August 10. Whether you like Adidas ("Impossible is Nothing,") or Li-Ning ("Anything is Possible,") basketball is a great sport for upsets.
Image: Tuhuan.com
Tags: basketball, Beijing Olympics, Dream Team, Olympics, Sun Yue, Wang Zhizhi, Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, Zhu Fangyu
Who will light the Olympic cauldron? Apparently not Yao or Liu
Friday, 8th August 2008 ~ Maggie ~ Link ~ Comments (0)
We're just hours away from finding out the answer to a question that's been asked for months—who will be the final torchbearer, the person who lights the Olympic cauldron at the opening ceremonies tonight?China's favorite athletes, basketball star Yao Ming and 110-meter hurdles world champion Liu Xiang, seem like logical choices. But according to China Daily, Olympic tradition has set a precedent of each person only carrying the flame one time. Yao carried the torch in Beijing Wednesday, and Liu carried it when the relay began on March 31.
So if not Liu or Yao, then who? We don't have interns to research all the athletes who haven't carried the torch, so my guess is going to be pretty uneducated. But here it is: Yao was actually the original choice to light the cauldron, but after the Sichuan earthquake rocked the country in May, the powers that be have changed plans. The torch will be lit by someone from Sichuan, who embodies hope for that region and for China.
Another possibility that I'd love to see is one of the many people who worked so hard in anonymity to build the mammoth Olympic structures that China is so proud of and that have become one of the most prominent symbols of these games.
Of course, China could show how modern it is by breaking with tradition. Or maybe someone knows a really dexterous panda.
Tags: Beijing Olympics, Liu Xiang, Olympics, opening ceremonies, Sichuan earthquake, torch relay, Yao Ming
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