Shoemaker steps up game with NBA player
By Herman Wong (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-02-11 06:28

"I'm global now," he said. "It's going to open up a lot of opportunities for me in the Chinese market and in the US market. Hopefully, Chinese people really enjoy the way I play the game of basketball, and I get other endorsement deals outside of basketball because of it."

Opinions among Chinese basketball fans about the deal are divided. Jones' signing has generated attention for Li-Ning footwear among some, but also criticism by others.

Twenty-six-year-old Li Jingcheng of Beijing, for one, doesn't know who Jones is and isn't interested in what his shoes are like.

Jones looks to change this kind of perception when he comes for a 10-day multi-city promotional tour in China this summer.

"It's going to be an opportunity for me to come over and meet the Chinese people and show my face," Jones said. "I think I'll probably be doing some clinics, and some autograph signings, so the Chinese people who watch me on TV and buy the Li-Ning shoes, get a chance to meet with me or be around me."

(China Daily 02/11/2006 page3)