Chinese sportswear company Anta has reached an agreement with North American basketball league the NBA to become an official marketing and merchandising partner of its NBA China division.
Under the wide-ranging deal, Anta will launch a line of co-branded NBA league and team footwear and accessories across its network of more than 2,000 Chinese stores and online retailers Tmall and JingDong.
Additionally, Anta will collaborate with NBA China at a number of official events designed to boost the profile of basketball in the country including NBA Nation, NBA All-Star Balloting, and the title-sponsored Anta Power Is Priceless Intramural League.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver said: “The NBA and Anta share a common goal to grow the game of basketball and inspire a healthy, active lifestyle. This partnership will provide our fans in China with NBA branded footwear and accessories and more ways to connect with their favourite teams.”
More than 300 million people are said to play basketball in China, making it the most popular team sport in the country.
Anta Sports chairman and chief executive Ding Shizhong added: “This partnership will give us a chance to elevate our brand awareness and increase consumer confidence in the competitive athletic footwear market. We will also be able to fully utilise our extensive experience to accelerate the growth of basketball throughout China.”
Terms of the deal between Anta and the NBA were not disclosed.