Browsing the "Li-Ning" Tag
October 11th, 2012 by John K.
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After yesterday’s unveiling of the official partnership between Chinese athletic apparel brand Li-Ning and NBA Superstar Dwyane Wade, the influx of Wade-branded Li-Nings are beginning to approach. Let’s start with this tonal black ‘Way of Wade’ model; the primary design feature of this shoe is the unique ‘W’ lacing at the base of the lace structure, but some additional angles show some other finer details like the Air Force -like toe-box and extended outsole at the heel. Additional shots of Wade and the ‘Way of Wade’ is right ahead so give it a look and let us know if this beats any of the Jordan Brand kicks he’s worn in the past.
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October 11th, 2012 by Aaron Kr.
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There’s a lot of buzz right now around Dwyane Wade and the recent announcement of his partnership with Chinese footwear brand, Li-Ning and last night, Sneaker News was lucky enough to catch up with the man of the hour for a few quick questions about the move and his new role as Chief Brand Officer of his own sub-brand. With only a short amount of time to get answers, we asked Dwyane some big picture questions regarding the future of the brand and what the impact of this signing can mean for both Li-Ning and NBA sneaker endorsement deals. Continue on after the jump to see what Dwyane had to say about his new endeavor, and stay tuned for more on WADE Brand and the Li-Ning Way of Wade signature model.
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October 10th, 2012 by Aaron Kr.
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Growing up in Chicago, Dwyane Wade idolized Michael Jordan, so it was a great honor for him to follow in his hero’s footsteps and represent the Jumpman for Jordan Brand. That partnership has ended and a new one has been formed, this time with Dwyane pulling another move out of MJ’s playbook, albeit for a different team now. It has already been reported that Wade will be joining Li-Ning, but the plot thickens a bit, as it looks like there will be a little more to the story. Like Mike branched out on his own with his own signature brand, Dwyane will be partnering with Li-Ning to launch WADE Brand, a division still operating under Li-Ning, but centered around all things D-Wade. The “Way of Wade” will be his first signature shoe as seen below and in previous posts, and will be followed by additional models, apparel and even gear for kids. Read more about today’s big announcement after the jump and stick with us for more on this intriguing new endeavor.
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October 9th, 2012 by John K.
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Thanks to the covert updates that Sneaker News has kept you up on, you already know that Dwyane Wade has made a huge change in his sneaker career, allowing his Jordan Brand contract to expire and linking up with Chinese sportswear entity Li-Ning. Tomorrow marks the 10/10 date hinted at by Wade on which the partnership is expected to officially be announced, but we’ve got some more photos and info ahead of that to shed light on the situation. First of all, Wade will have his sub-brand known simply as ‘Wade’, with an apparel line that he will have executive control over thrown in the mix. Secondly, reports have the line launching in China “soon” with an expected US arrival in Spring 2013.
During this big-time change for one of the league’s biggest athletes (#MakeTheChange being the apparent name of the campaign), some more insight has been given on the Wade/Jordan Brand split, with Wade speaking on the subject with “In the end, the pros outweighed the cons, Jordan might have that cool factor, but I’m at a different point in my career. I want to be involved in building something.” There’s no doubt that this new endorsement has given him that building opportunity, letting him carve out his own path and create a footwear legacy independent influence from any other Chicago heroes. You can expect to see Wade rocking his new Li-Ning’s on the regular at a couple upcoming exhibition matches out in China, with the in-game pairs to be auctioned off afterwards, thus becoming the first ever Wade x Li-Ning sneakers up for grabs. Click through with us to get the latest look at Dwyane Wade’s Li-Ning prototypes and check back tomorrow for more on the official dawn of the Wade/Li-Ning era.
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October 7th, 2012 by Brendan Dunne
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It’s here. One of the league’s biggest stars has ended his long standing relationship with one of the league’s most prominent outfitter of on-court sneakers, Dwyane Wade going a little left of field in his signing with Chinese athletic company Li-Ning. And what will be first up to kick off this new era in his sneaker career? You’re looking at it. The model, the name of which is still unclear, steers clear of any Heat colors at the moment, building off a clean black and white colorway with some wink and nod D-Wade elements like that slick ‘W’ set up at the front end of the lace placket and the various ‘Wade’ hits about. Click through to check out the first solid shots of the Dwyane Wade Li-Ning silhouette and drop us your thoughts in the comments below.
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October 5th, 2012 by Brendan Dunne
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Having officially switched sponsors, Dwyane Wade is no doubt eager to get right to work in testing out his new Li-Ning sneaker, a model which will mark his tenth season in the NBA and his first under the newly established Li-Ning signing. Of course we don’t know the name of the model yet, or any release info, heck we haven’t even seen any official images. But what we can show you is this, D-Wade putting in some practice hours in the all new design. Click through with us to check out some sneaky shots of Dwyane Wade’s Li-Ning model and stick with Sneaker News as the story develops.
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October 2nd, 2012 by Brendan Dunne
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With Dwyane Wade officially exiting the house that Michael built, it didn’t take very long for Li-Ning and Wade to make their connection known. The preview shown comes from the Instagram of Flash himself, with the ominous caption of #10/10, a possible allusion to this being his 10th season in the NBA, or perhaps even an earlier than expected release date. Right off the bat, we see ‘WADE’ and a unique W-shaped lacing system, so clearly Li-Ning had something prepared for the superstar. Click through with us to check out the first ever shot from the newly minted partnership between Dwyane Wade and Li-Ning and let us know in the comments below how you think these will compare to Wade’s now extinct lineup of Jordan Brand models.
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October 1st, 2012 by John K.
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Roughly one month ago a report of a potential split between Jordan Brand and its purported top-level athlete/representative Dwyane Wade created some interesting discussion among our readers. Wade is indeed one of the star athletes of the entire NBA and certainly one of the few multi-Championship All-Stars that are still active in the game, but in Wade’s case, his star status both on and off the court didn’t translate into major sales numbers or anything remotely close to the standards of the Air Jordan legacy. Even in Sneaker News’ recent Jordan Brand Holiday 2012/Spring 2013 preview, anything remotely ‘Wade’ wasn’t in sight, which pretty much said what needed to be said without words. In any case, Wade’s contract with the brand that started in 2009 has seen its inevitable end, and it is now confirmed by current Li-Ning brand endorsee Evan Turner of the Philadelphia Sixers that Dwyane Wade has indeed joined Chinese athletic brand Li-Ning.
While no break-up is ever worth a celebration, this business decision looks to benefit both sides; the Fly Wade series experienced mediocre-at-best sales and perhaps didn’t justify his annual salary (one that would’ve needed to be raised or been in at the same rate in order to keep him), but the flipside may reveal that Wade is likely getting a generous endorsement contract as well as major marketing potential in China, where NBA stars are as heavily praised as they are in the States. It’s a move that gives Wade what he’s looking for (more international fame and relevance and more dollars) while allowing Jordan Brand a ‘fresh start’ of sorts with either a new line of performance basketball footwear or maybe even another signature athlete down the line. Your thoughts on Wade’s decision to jump to Li-Ning? Any suggestions as to who can step up and be Jordan Brand’s third guy?
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