NBA star Dwyane Wade, currently on a tour of China, apparently wants people to know that he is more than just a basketball player, brand ambassador and rap muse; he's also just a regular guy.
After attending a signing session promoting his book A Father First: How My Life Became Bigger Than Basketball, the 2006 NBA finals MVP opted to take the high-speed train from Shanghai to Beijing rather than fly. In a video posted to social media of himself and his wife, actress Gabrielle Union, at a Shanghai train station, Wade explains, "We are in China. Do regular stuff." (Wade was probably wise to choose train over plane – while there is nothing "regular" about China's jaw-dropping high-speed rail network, domestic flight delays are as regular as clockwork.)
Wade's Xi Jinping-inspired man-of-the-people attitude didn't go unnoticed by state media – China Daily marveled at Wade's "down-to-earth approach to fit into ordinary people's commuting in the most populous country." They even gave him a pass when, once in the capital, the three-time champ couldn't handle the pungent smell of douzhi'er, saying the traditional Beijing drink of fermented bean juice is "usually turned down by visitors for its stinky odor." Wade did, however, sample a fried dough ring called jiaoquan'er, which he said reminded him of the "dookie cookies we had when we were kids." (If Urban Dictionary is any guide, Wade is not a fan of local cuisine.)
While in China Wade also unveiled his imaginatively titled wine label "Wade." He later joked on social media that he would provide some to his new teammate Amare Stoudemire, who is known to enjoy relaxing in red wine baths. Sporting News compiled some possible tag lines for the new wine brand, including: "Wade, gets you drunk in a flash" (he is nicknamed Flash) and "Wade, You actually want this one to age quickly" (referring to Wade's declining NBA career).
Although Wade has a plethora of income sources (a USD20 million one-year contract with the Miami Heat, designing watches for Hublot, getting paid by Jay-Z), his 12-day China tour, which began on Thursday, is sponsored by Chinese sportswear brand Li-Ning. Wade signed a USD100 million deal three years ago to be the face of Li-Ning until 2022. On this trip, the NBA all-star is promoting his 'Way of Wade' sneakers to his legions of Chinese fans, but Wade's eventual aim is to bring the Chinese brand to the wider world.
"My vision and goal one day is when I travel around the world, I want to see a lot of people wear Li-Ning," Wade said. Spoken like a true spokesman.
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