National Basketball Association (NBA) superstar LeBron James has moved to increase his presence in the Chinese market by signing a deal with internet provider Tencent to promote the Chinese version of the NBA2K video games, according to the Miami Herald newspaper.
James, who plays for the Miami Heat, will appear in advertising campaigns in China and will also have the opportunity to provide creative input on the development of the games.
The agreement is the latest move by James in an attempt to strengthen his presence in China. Despite his stature in the US sports market, where Forbes places him as the top-earning NBA player and fourth in the list of top-grossing athletes, he has only just started to emerge as a key player in China.
The forward already has a personal endorsement deal with Dunkin’ Donuts in Asia, but the Tencent agreement will place James at the front of a company operating solely in China.
The NBA has been looking to take advantage of the vast Chinese market by holding a series of exhibition games for Chinese fans – an initiative that has also brought James to the country in a playing role nine times to date.