Puma sign up CBA player Zhao Jiwei

On August 6, Puma, the German sports apparel and equipment designers and manufacturers announced on the Chinese social network Sina Weibo that they have signed CBA player Zhao Jiwei, making him the first Chinese basketball player to endorse their brand.

As the most promising point guard of China Men’s National Basketball team and Liaoning Men’s Basketball team, Zhao has been playing at the top level at both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. Off the court, he lives a positive lifestyle that is in agreement with the image Puma wishes to present to the consumers.

Puma is a German brand that has business in athletics, football, golf and racing. In 1999, it reached a brief shirt sponsorship deal with the NBA that lasted only 2 years. In 2018, a deal was again struck between the two parties, with Puma becoming the NBA’s official partner, marking its return to the basketball sector in two decades.

Besides signing NBA players Demarcus Cousins, Danny Green and Deandre Ayton as endorsers, Puma also recruited popular rapper Jay-Z as its creative director, all signs that the German brand wishes to do well in the basketball market.

Reference: Weibo

Proofread by Raymond Fitzpatrick