Shaq in sponsorship deal with China's Li-Ning
Miami Heat center Shaquille O'Neal has agreed to a sponsorship deal with Chinese sportswear maker Li-Ning, state media here have reported.
Terms of the five-year contract were not released, but the China Daily newspaper Tuesday cited unnamed insiders as saying it was worth at least 10 million yuan (1.25 million dollars), making it the most expensive in Li-Ning's history.
"We chose O'Neal based on his influence and expertise in basketball," said Li Ning, the company's chairman. "He is one of the greatest NBA players of all time."
Li Ning is a former Olympic champion in gymnastics.
"I chose the Li-Ning brand because Li Ning himself was one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century," Shaq was quoted as saying.
O'Neal was previously accused of racism against the Chinese when he made derogatory remarks about Houston Rockets center Yao Ming in 2003.
"Tell Yao Ming, 'ching-chong-yang-wah-ah-soh'," he said in widely reported comments.
O'Neal later said his remarks had been intended as a joke.
AFP
