Jeremy Lin to Cash in on His Newfound Fame in Asia?

The NBA’s newest – and most unexpected – sensation, Jeremy Lin, could potentially see a nice boost in his bank account from endorsement partners in North America and the Far East if he can keep up some of his exploits. Reuters has the details: “That storyline alone would make the 23-year-old Californian an attractive proposition to advertisers, but add in the fact he was born to Taiwanese parents and you would, it seems, have marketing gold on your hands. ‘There’s no question brands will be interested in Jeremy Lin,’ Jeremy Walker, head of sports marketing and branded entertainment for GolinHarris, told Reuters by telephone from Hong Kong on Monday. ‘You only have to look at what Yao Ming has done not just for the NBA but for brands that he represents both in the States and in China. Every top Chinese star that comes out from the Olympic Games or wherever it might be, there’s always going to be an awful lot of interest for brands because all the major brands in the world are still looking to China for growth. A lot of brands want that positive ‘halo effect’ association they are going to get from being involved with a superstar.’ China has long been the National Basketball Association (NBA)’s biggest market outside North America and the league is the country’s most popular sporting import despite the retirement of former Houston Rockets centre Yao Ming.”