Hoopers love their shoes. Basketball shoes are one of the hottest commodities in the sporting world. Their popularity skyrocketed when Michael Jordan collaborated with Nike in the last century. Since then, many NBA athletes have built a successful shoe brand and have raked in huge profits. One such example is Kyrie Irving, whose Nike shoe line sold like hotcakes. However, his partnership with the company ended in unfortunate circumstances. 

Then he made a major move by signing with Chinese shoe brand Anta. Its face changed overnight, but the earlier face has still continued dropping new lines.

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The popularity of the Warriors and Stephen Curry is well-documented in China. Steph is the most-followed NBA personality on China’s social media platform Weibo. His influence on Chinese basketball as well as his overall persona resonates deeply.

Not coincidentally, the second-most followed NBA person on Weibo is Klay Thompson. Owing to his immense popularity, the Guard turned to Anta, one of the giants in global sports equipment. 

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In 2017, Thompson signed a ten-year $80 million deal with the company. In his Insta post, he revealed the latest signature shoes with the company, termed KT 9. Posing as a Captain, Thompson gave a salute and unveiled the shoes while he was touring China. The Captain Avatar comes from his love for having boat tours, a hobby he picked up while residing in the Bay Area.

Thompson became the face of the brand six years ago or so and wanted to build his exclusive Anta legacy. He didn’t sign with Nike to get the deal done, which showcased his desire to be the face of the brand. 

However, after Nike dropped Irving for his alleged antisemitic messages, this brand offered him a juicy deal.

And the dribbling wizard couldn’t refuse the offer, considering he could resume his sneakers journey after an eight-month hiatus. 

READ MORE: “They Were Late Bloomers”: Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson’s Former Teammate Reveals How ‘Lightning Struck Twice’ for Warriors

Will others follow Irving and Thompson to Anta?

NBA and Anta

In 2022, Anta posted a $7.8 billion revenue and even eclipsed shoe giants Nike and Adidas. With a population of 1.41 billion, the Chinese market is an alluring and dynamic one, therefore such numbers are not a surprise. The relationship between the corporate giant and NBA goes more than a decade back. Kevin Garnett had the first endorsement deal in 2010 and since then there have been other signees too.

Apart from Irving and Thompson, this list includes Gordon Hayward, Terrance Mann, Kevon Looney, James Wiseman, Precious Achiuwa, and Alex Caruso. The presence of two current and one former Warriors players highlight the popularity of the squad in China.

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