Sportswear brand Li Ning has been making several in roads in the U.S., opening up a flagship store in Portland and signing on several big name sports stars to promote their brand. But where they seem to excel best is, surprisingly, in commercials. more ›

In what could be its biggest get yet, China's leading sportswear brand, Li Ning, signed NBA rookie Evan Turner to an endorsement deal Monday. Turner, the 2010 NCAA National Player of the Year, was selected second overall in the draft by the Philadelphia 76ers. Li Ning already has bigger NBA names in Shaquille O'Neal and Baron Davis, but both were signed when they were well past their prime. more ›

Li Ning, the Chinese sportswear company named after (and founded by) the famous Chinese Olympic athlete, was recently featured in a Beijing Review article about the steps it's taken to open up a market in the U.S. According to the piece, Li Ning is using "exotic oriental elements" to attract buyers and entice trendsetters. How interesting! Maybe that explains Baron Davis using his NBA moves to baffle locals last summer. more ›

Chinese sports brand up-and-comer Li Ning has opened its first store outside of the country, though it didn't go far. The newest themed flagship shop will be in Singapore's ION Orchard Mall. The theme: badminton paradise, which will focus on the sport's equipment and maintenance. According to Li Ning CFO Nicholas Chong, "Badminton is a popular, prevalent and influential sport in Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Indonesia, and Malaysia. Expansion into this market not only shows our determination to become the sports brand synonymous with badminton, it also lays a solid foundation for the group's expansion into overseas markets." Considering how badminton players tend to appear on billboards here with the same badassedness as basketball and football players in the U.S., we guess that's not a bad strategy to hedge on after all. Source: Brand Republic more ›

We pass this billboard (almost) every day, between Shanghaiist headquarters and the gym. For a long time it featured Barack Obama on the cover of the Chinese version of Men's Health. Recently a Twitter user named Shaquille O'Neal has taken the president elect's place. It's an ad for Li Ning basketball shoes, Shaq's brand of choice for a couple years now. (You might remember the real Li Ning from such Olympic opening ceremonies as Beijing 2008.) more ›

For sports apparel brands, the Olympics are arguably the most important stage for marketing. So how did the sports marketers fare with the Chinese market in these Olympics? Here's a look at how things played out for Adidas, Li-Ning, Nike, Puma and Speedo. more ›

Now that the awe from the Olympic ceremony has subsided, tech boffins have been analyzing the extravaganza with a fine tooth comb. In addition to CGI firework footprints and lip syncing children, Gizmodo has found images of the Windows blue error screen projected onto the roof of the Olympic stadium during Li Ning's torch flight. Whoops! more ›

From The Guardian: more ›

The NBA is coming to Shanghai again on October 17. This time the Cleveland Cavaliers, fresh off the worst NBA Finals performance we have ever seen, take on the Orlando Magic. If meaningless preseason hoops is your thing, start booking tickets to Minhang District now. The game is being played way the hell out there at the Shanghai Qizhong Forest Sports City Tennis Center. And for those of you who remember the 2004 Shanghai clash between the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings (tickets for which started at US$12) you might be interested to know that tickets for the 2007 version start at US$105. Now, we know the dollar has gotten weaker ... but this seems like a greedy move for a sport and league that should be trying to appeal to the common man. (UPDATE: According to the seating chart, it looks like very few nose-bleed seats were priced at RMB 200, but maybe they are sold out.) more ›

From state media late last week: more ›

Following in the footsteps of former teammate Damon Jones (naturally), NBA superstar Shaquille O'Neal has signed an endorsement deal with Chinese sports shoes and apparel company Li Ning. Is this a sign that Chinese brands have hit the big time? Or is this a sign that Shaq's career is nearing its end? Maybe a combination of both? more ›

Outspoken (and slightly above average) Cleveland Cavaliers guard Damon Jones made history this week, becoming the first active American NBA player to sign an endorsement deal with a Chinese sports apparel brand. Li Ning, one of China's leading sports brands, signed Jones to a two-year deal, details of which were not disclosed. Jones has worn Li Ning's "Feijia" sneakers for most of this season. more ›

China may have found the oft-discussed "next Yao Ming." Of course he is only 13 years old, so we'll have to wait a while to find out. But according to the Wenhui Daily, Tian Yuchen is already 205 cm tall -- that's almost 6-foot-9. When Yao Ming was 13, he was "only" 197 cm. Tian is from Changchun in Jilin province and he's already a member of the Shanghai Sharks youth team, the same place Yao got his start. The paper said Tian is considered the "secret weapon" for the Sharks' much-needed CBA turnaround (they are currently 3-5 and dead last in the CBA South Division standings). Tian is actually being trained to play as a guard and he's already signed an endorsement deal with athletic apparel brand Li Ning. more ›

Xinhua news reports that China has successfully used somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT, for those of you in the know) to clone a pig. more ›