San Francisco Frontiers - China sports brands score NBA stars to assist global ambitions

Firms like ANTA, the organisers of Irving's Chengdu fan meet last week, have upped their international profile in recent years, building upon their success at home to make headway overseas.

Signing celebrity athletes from popular sports like basketball has become a key strand of that expansion strategy, boosting credibility abroad while appealing to the many NBA fans in the domestic market.

The athletes "help us tremendously because they help us to create global awareness, also global reach", Global Basketball General Manager for ANTA, Rocky Fan, told AFP in Chengdu.

"It's now time to take our brand global," he said. "We believe (basketball) is a very important, very unique sport that we could... leverage to reach our global consumers."

NBA endorsements "are the single most effective bridge Chinese sportswear brands have into Western consumer consciousness", said Rufio Zhu from sports marketing agency IMG.

ANTA are not alone in embracing this strategy. In June, Beijing-based brand Li-Ning signed basketball superstar Steph Curry.

That agreement "moves the needle significantly, because (Curry's) really top tier", said Mark Dreyer, author of "Sporting Superpower", a book about China's ambitions in the sector.

- 'All around the world' -

For a Western consumer base that might still view Chinese brands as offering value over quality, top-tier endorsement can be crucial.

Signing big-name athletes lends "attention, credibility and relevance", Elisa Harca from marketing agency Red Ant Asia told AFP.

Curry's choice of Li-Ning over more established brands like Nike and Adidas "signals the product delivers at the highest level", IMG's Zhu said.

Popular athletes can also "help brands bridge cultural gaps, introduce products to new audiences and create a level of familiarity that would otherwise take years to build", said Adrian Staiti from agency CAA Sports.

Both ANTA and Li-Ning have offered involved partnerships to their stars to better foster that connection.

Irving, for example, is ANTA's chief creative officer of basketball.

"Being a CCO is definitely a lot of pressure on me to... design new things, and especially when the community is asking for more," Irving told reporters in Chengdu.

"It's not just an American community, it's not just China, it's all around the world."

- Still 'niche' -

ANTA differs from Li-Ning in that it has also pursued a significant overseas acquisition strategy.

Its portfolio now includes well-established names like Puma, Arc'teryx, Salomon and Wilson.

"There's a stronger case to say that ANTA has become a global brand" off the back of these stakes in foreign companies, said Dreyer.

But that in itself does not necessarily translate to a change in the perception of the individual ANTA brand, added the author.

That's where the stars come in.

Online sales of Li-Ning shoes spike after televised basketball games, said Zhu.

"If the quality of the product holds up, then there'll be gradual acceptance," said Dreyer.

There are nascent signs of success -- ANTA's overseas revenue grew 150 percent on-year in the first half of 2025, albeit from a low base.

The company is planning 1,000 foreign stores by 2028.

Still, marketing professional Harca argued that courting NBA stars has had the biggest impact in the domestic market.

ANTA has overtaken Nike to hold 23 percent of the Chinese sportswear market, according to IMG.

Globally, "Chinese brands remain relatively niche," Harca said.

"The ambition is clear but the execution is still early-stage."

Y.Harris--SFF