Old story: Money talks
Ira Winderman
Sun Sentinel
With Jordan Brand focusing on Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony, it made sense for Dwyane Wade to get out of the Nike shadow alongside LeBron James and Chris Bosh with the Heat.
And, yet, the reality is that if Jordan Brand was willing to re-up with Wade, Wade likely would be continuing in the Nike division.
What Li-Ning was able to provide that Nike did not need to offer is an equity stake in the brand. Such a shoe-agreement model could impact how the likes of James, Dwight Howard or Derrick Rose handle business going forward.
The reality is that Wade found his best deal half a world away, so he took it, just as Shaquille O'Neal had worked with Li-Ning previously. Nothing new here, just the old story of how money talks.
Experiment will fail
K.C. Johnson
Chicago Tribune
Remember the "Starbury One"? Didn't think so. Remember Steve & Barry's? No problem; the company filed for bankruptcy protection in 2008.
Dwyane Wade signing with a Chinese shoe company is an anomaly along the lines of the "Starbury One," the $14.98 shoe that Stephon Marbury endorsed from Steve & Barry's in 2006. That's not to say Wade's Chinese shoe company will make cheap shoes. It is to say the major shoe companies are so entrenched in today's culture and lifestyle that detours like the one Wade took recently typically end up where players started — in swooshes or stripes.
What Wade is trying sounds all well and good now, but look for the experiment to end. And look for few to follow.
Huge potential in China
Josh Robbins
Orlando Sentinel
Dwyane Wade's decision to sign with the shoe company Li-Ning is yet another sign that NBA stars will seek endorsements from Chinese companies.
This is all about common sense. Why wouldn't a star player sell his endorsement to the highest bidder, even if the company is based overseas? Wade isn't the first NBA player to sign with a Chinese shoe company, anyway.
China, with its population of more than 1.3 billion people and its growing middle class, offers shoe and apparel companies a chance to grow their revenues. This is why Adidas sends Lakers star Dwight Howard to the Far East every summer: Company officials want to generate a demand for their product. Howard is happy to oblige. He, too, sees the future.
Follow the money
Broderick Turner
Los Angeles Times
Let's be honest, Dwyane Wade or any other NBA player who signs a shoe deal with a company in China is doing this because of the money.
They are all looking for cash to put in their coffers, and it doesn't matter if the money comes from the United States, China or any other country.
Wade's Heat teammate Shane Battier has a deal with a Chinese sporting goods company. Lakers guard Steve Nash and Warriors guard Stephen Curry have shoe deals with Chinese companies.
So, no, what Wade did is not an anomaly. The era of signing deals with Chinese companies already is here.
It's all about the money, and China is shelling out the dough right now.