Thursday, August 4th, 2011 at 9:15 am  |  4 responses

Sonny Vaccaro: Nike Will Pay Kobe Bryant to Play in China


The famous sports marketing executive — Sonny Vaccaro signed Michael Jordan to his first shoe deal — tells the Chris Vernon Show that Nike and other apparel companies will pay their biggest clients to play in China (and other countries) during the NBA lockout: “Sonny Vaccaro says he thinks Kobe Bryant will go to play in China, and Nike will pay him to do it … Sonny tells us on the show that he thinks guys w/ the endorsement (like LeBron, Rose, Howard, etc) will pay them to play overseas.”

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  • Fred

    Yeah, they will be across the pond playing soon. Why do you think they are over there so much? Great job NBA!

  • flipnoyce

    What Stern said the other day made some sense about players playing overseas. Most of them will not make out. But, this is the perfect example of what could alter the balance in the NBA. Superstar being supported by corporate endorsement to pay their top money maker to play overseas. What if the majority of superstars really play abroad with the support of their said endorsee? Half of what the NBA makes are from corporations such as NIKE including Jordan Brand, Adidas(has the rights to produce NBA apparel),Reebok and many others. I wonder what the OWNERS are thinking when their superstars decide to test the waters elsewhere. At the END, players and owners don’t lose out! It’s the fans of the game that will truly take a hit!!!!

  • LA Huey

    I believe the league’s stance is heavily influenced by the small markets owners. But if the superstars start heading overseas, you can bet Dolan, Arison, Buss, and Reinsdorf will make the other owners soften up.

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