UPDATE: CJ McCollum has finalized a multi-year agreement with Chinese shoe company Li-Ning. McCollum officially announced the partnership on Twitter account Friday evening.
I'm excited to announce my new parternship with the Li-Ning family. With hard work.. Anything is possible pic.twitter.com/6KiVAEPwqB
— CJ McCollum (@CJMcCollum) October 7, 2017
The following is the original Def Pen story:
Already considered one of the top-tier scorers in the NBA at 26 years old, Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum still has the ability to take his game to new heights. As a steadily emerging elite shooting guard, McCollum is a free agent in the sneaker world, fresh off an expired deal with Nike.
With so much potential still on tap for the Blazers off-guard, there will be no shortage of attention from sneaker companies. One of those companies is the Chinese brand Li-Ning who is rumored to be nearing an agreement with McCollum on a lucrative shoe deal according to Jason Quick of NBC Sports:
Ripples are being sent through the shoe industry with word that Trail Blazers star CJ McCollum is on the verge of leaving Nike to sign a deal with the Chinese company Li-Ning.
McCollum, who wore a pair of Li-Ning shoes in the Blazers’ preseason game against Phoenix on Tuesday, was asked after the game if he was switching sponsorships.
“In negotiations,’’ McCollum said with a big smile as he left the locker room.
Though people aren’t as familiar with Li-Ning as they are with dominating brands such as Jordan or Nike, the Chinese brand has done a superb job becoming relevant all over the world. Guard Dwayne Wade was one of the first to ink a deal with them and since the future Hall of Famer got his own shoe, Li-Ning has increased its popularity exponentially.
C.J. McCollum could be next in line to carry the torch for Li-Ning as Wade’s career dwindles down to its final years. McCollum is coming off a career year in which he posted 23 points per game to pair with averages of 3.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists and will look to carry that momentum into this season for a Blazers squad that has playoff aspirations.
