Nike makes first eSports signing for LeBron collaboration


LeBron James at a Los Angeles Lakers press conference in California last month. — AFP Relaxnews

Sportswear company Nike has agreed a sponsorship deal with top-ranked League Of Legends player Jian Zi-Hao, who will work with basketball star LeBron James on a new piece of clothing design.

LeBron James already runs a "Dribble &" Nike shirt line, and professional Chinese video game player Jian "Uzi" Zi-Hao is on board to help design a new one.

Zi-Hao, who currently plays for League Of Legends team Royal Never Give Up, is Nike's first eSports signing and will see "Dribble & Carry" – a reference to a crucial team role – appear on a new "Dribble &" spin-off.

Nike cited LeBron James as one of Zi-Hao's inspirations in its announcement on Chinese social media site Weibo.

Royal Never Give Up has strung together four top-tier tournament wins in 2018, with Zi-Hao being named Most Valued Player at two of them.

The original Chinese-language announcement came on Oct 17, during the League Of Legends World Championship, before being more widely circulated by English-language site dotesports.com and then this week through IGN.

Royal Never Give Up made it to the League Of Legends quarter-final stage before being knocked on Oct 20. – AFP Relaxnews

Get 20% OFF The Star Digital Access

Monthly Plan

RM 13.90/month

RM 11.12/month

Billed as RM 11.12 for the 1st month, RM 13.90 thereafter.

Best Value

Annual Plan

RM 12.33/month

RM 9.87/month

Billed as RM 118.40 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.

Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel for breaking news alerts and key updates!

Others Also Read