That's a fantastical story, Almu. New York fans have a well deserved reputation as rabid, unforgiving and bad-ass fans... and to have THEM react that way to Yao, playing for the Rocks for crying out loud, is incredible. I can understand you being bowled over! I don't know if he'll be MJ Deux or not, we'll have to wait and see, but if he gets MJ's calls (or Shaq's, for that matter) then we're in for a wild ride! We're tough... we can handle the b****in' and whining. We just need to win. Actually, we need to win NOW.
i'll bet you anything, 1000 dollars or more that lebron will have a nike or and1 or some other shoe company shoe deal that pays him way more than yao will get if he even gets a shoe deal. and i'll bet you anything that if he does get a shoe deal, his shoes won't sell. (yao's shoe won't sell, but lebron's will) and i'll bet you that lebron james jersey will sell better in china than yao's jersey will.
I went to the game at MSG last night. We had 4 club seats just behind the Knick bench. The Yao buzz could be felt even before we entered the Stadium. Tuesday all the four local newspapers carried at least 3~5 Yao-related articles eagerly antipciating his debut in the so called "the world's most famous arena". My colleagues had been talking about Yao and his TV ads the past two days. One by one, a long line of black limos pulled up near the main entrance. Scalps were busy at action, offering a high price to buy your extra tickets. Waiting inside the complex before the entrance, I was even interviewed by a local newspaper reporter and was asked my opinion on the Yao phenomenum. Inside the stadium, many celebrities were seen cross court on the other side. "Yo-Yao"chants suddenly filled the area once Yao and his teammates were coming out to practice. The atomosphere was just unbelievable. They held a "silent auction" of two signatured T-shirts (one Rox shirt signed by Yao, the other Latrel Sprewell's Knick uniform). When I checked the bids at the halft time, Yao's had reached $3,500. Spree's was offered $900 by the then highest bidder. During the whole game, fans (even Knicks supporters) cheered on Yao's every move, until the last 2 mintues when the game was on the line. One thing I saw really bothered me though. Every time Yao went to the free throw line and prepared to shoot, several camera lights would flash from the fan section facing him. I worried that the strong flash lights could have affected his vision. While I felt the pain for the Rox loss, New York fans were very happy leaving the arena after the game, doublly satisfied ( a Knicks win and a close look at the emerging young super star). In front of us, a group of teenagers were reciting "Yo! ", "gi", "Yogi!".
That is a GIVEN - big men NEVER get huge shoe deals. But that said Yao will get the biggest shoe deal ever for a big man. But come to think of it again - it is not a given that Lebron's Shoe deal will be bigger than Yao's. Initial reports reaching me have it that Lebron's shoe deal will max out at $5 Million USD per year for about 4 or 5 years. If that remains as expected, Yao will definitely equal or exceed that because of his GLOBAL commercial value. Yes I will bet with you on that, insider, just for the heck of it. We shall see this summer/fall when they both would have inked their shoe deals by then.
I do not really care. IT IS GOOD!!!!!!!! We should love the attention. Something that isn't bad. He's not overhyped. He is the man. He is popular. He is special. He is just different. He is unique. He is going to be famous!!!!!!!!!! unless he says something wrong one day......but Yao will continue to impress everyone everyday in his life!!!!
Lebron's jersey will never sell better in china than Yao's, that's a given. Ask a bball fan in China about Lebron and you'll get the response: "Lebron Who?"
There is particularly no one outside of America who knows the name of Lebron James. And Yao Ming, even people all over the world who don't like basketball now know who he is. You don't know what you are talking about.
actually Lebron James has been shown on ESPN in Saudi Arabia....which is pretty far from America. Yao is bigger in the news because he was selected #1 this year. This time next year L. James will be the hot topic.
I think Lebron could become an amazing player, but the expectations are already too high for anyone coming into the league from high school. Making the jump is tough for any player, but I think it's even harder for guards. None of the guards were instantly stars out of high school, not Kobe or McGrady. Stoudamire's played great this year, but he's a big man and I think it's easier to come in as a big man and if Lebron puts up 13 ppg. next year, people will be very disappointed. To sell that jersey, Lebron's going to have to put up some sick numbers. I think his future is bright, but I don't think he'll be one of the top players in the league right off the bat...
Carayip, You don't know anything about shoe sales. Big men don't sell shoes. They never have no matter how popular they were. No way Nike would give Yao more money than LeBron. LeBron will have one of the biggest shoe contracts in the NBA - probably top 2 or 3. Yao could get a lot more $$ in overall endorsements but not shoes. And don't underestimate LeBron's hype. They show his games on ESPN and other games are on pay per view. When in the history of the NBA have you heard of this type of hype for a HS kid. last year Danny Ainge said he would take 5 NBA players over LeBron. That's unbelievable hype. 23,000 people to watch a HS game - that's not a championship in Indiana? They literally travel the country like a rock group. By the way, the more hype for LeBron, the less media attention on Yao. This is a good thing and will allow him to concentrate on improving his basketball skills. Yao will always have a following. However, after the initial media blitz, Yao will have to dominate to keep those endorsements going. Pass the hype to LeBron james.
Sorry I misunderstood a bit. I am talking about worldwide popularity. There is no way James would become more popular than Yao especially outside of America in the nearby future unless he immediately wins titles Magic Johnson style. There are a lot of factors into worldwide popularity. Hell from my estimation, as great as McGardy is, more people know Vince Carter and Iverson than him all over the world.
I think you're right about the shoe deal. The demographic for high end bball shoes is mostly urban hip-hoppers so it takes some "street cred" to sell shoes for the most part. Even Kobe couldn't do it. Nor Shaq. But AI can, go figure. Anyway, I read somewhere that Nike said it was their number 1 priority to resign Yao this year, but I still don't think he'll sell as many shoes as Lebron. They may want him more for general marketing, spotlighting their brand overall.
