Thank to a single tweet from Houston Rockets GM Darryl Morey, the NBA and their relationship with the CBA and China itself was put in jeopardy. This directly affects plenty of NBA players who have endorsement deals in the foreign country, like Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward.
Hayward signed a four-year deal with Chinese shoe and apparel company Anta. Thankfully for the Celtics forward, Anta expressed their desire to remain partners with the talented wing. Hayward spoke on the pair's business relationship:
“They were like, ‘Hey, our relationship stays the same. So that’s kind of what I know about it, and they’ve been nothing but good to me. I haven’t followed everything about it. I kind of have an understanding of what’s going on. I think it’s a complicated issue. “I know my relationship with them, with Anta, hasn’t changed. I have a great relationship with them. They’ve been really good to me, and after going to China, I had a great time and the people there were super nice to me and my family. So that’s kind of all I know about the situation.”
The Celtics star might be one of the lucky few to remain partnered with a Chinese shoe brand. There is still no word on whether other big-name brands in China like Li-Ning or Peak will honor their NBA contracts.
We'll see whether players like CJ McCollum and Rajon Rondo are forced to find new sponsors.
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