Xtep expands its sportswear portfolio into basketball shoes and apparel, signing on star Jeremy Lin as brand spokesman
- Xtep has signed on basketball star Jeremy Lin as a brand ambassador for four models of shoes, featuring ‘Linsanity’ stitchings due for release in October
- Basketball represents a growth opportunity for Xtep, which has made a name for itself in running
Xtep International Holdings, China’s third-largest home-grown sports brand, is making its first foray into basketball shoes and apparel, extending its portfolio after a global shopping spree for running gear.
The Fujian-based company has signed on basketball star Jeremy Lin as a brand ambassador for four models of basketball shoes, featuring “Linsanity” stitchings, due for release in October. Xtep did not provide financial details of the endorsement.
The endorsement will help boost “Xtep’s development as a company” and spur “future investment into basketball”, said Xtep’s founder and chairman Ding Shui Po during a launch of the range in Guangzhou today, calling Lin “China’s biggest basketball player”.
The endorsement came during an annual Asia tour by Lin in his nine-year basketball career. Before Xtep, Lin had endorsed Volvo cars (for Geely Automobile Holdings), Adidas and Nike.
In 2014 Adidas endorsed him in a deal worth a reported US$3 million annually for five years, after Lin’s contract with Nike expired. Public appearances in Asia were part of the deal, in an effort to boost the brand in the region.
