In 2010, the then-New Jersey Nets tried to sell LeBron James on a global Nets franchise. With or without LeBron, the global vision appears to be more than a selling point for free agents.
Nets CEO and marketer extraordinaire Brett Yormark recently completed his sixth visit to China, this time to market a pair of October exhibition games with the Sacramento Kings. China Daily sat down with Yormark to chronicle the trip. Some highlights below:
“The Nets have some unique inroads to the Chinese market” due to its championship runs with Jason Kidd at Point Guard and former Chinese star Yi Jianlan.
According to the writer, Kevin Garnett “is arguably the most popular NBA player in China.”
Prokohorov’s spending habits went global: “Critics even labeled the Brooklyn team as “tuhao,” a trendy term for the free-spending yet uncultured nouveau riche.”
In response to a question on the team’s global ambition, Yormark replied: “Absolutely. We always advocate playing internationally when we can. Last year we played in London at the O2, and this year we’re coming back to China” while listing other international trips the team made.
And here’s a little life advice from the Nets’ chief: “I always tell people to dream big, aspire to be who and what you want to be.”
Other points of interest include how Yormark spends his day, other popular Nets in China, and some quotes from a fellow Nets fan in the Sichuan province. Check it out if you can.
China Daily — Brooklyn boss bullish on China
