Wade inks lifetime with Chinese apparel company

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher

Dwyane Wade, who is on the downside of his career with the Miami Heat, has signed a lifetime deal with Li-Ning. The Chinese apparel company has been sponsoring him for the past several years.

Wade made the announcement while he was in Beijing on Wednesday. Li Ning, the company’s CEO, was also at the event.

Dwyane Wade attempts a jump shot over Philadelphia 76ers’ T.J. McConnell (Getty Images)

The star NBA player has been working with Li-Ning since 2012. He previously had shoe deals with Converse and Jordan Brand in his NBA career.

Besides Wade’s role in the company’s basketball and lifestyle apparel, he will now have a larger role within the company. He will also help with their youth development camps and basketball clinics, according to the announcement, in China and across the world.

He began last season with the Cleveland Cavaliers. He had signed a one-year deal with the team, before being traded to the Heat at the NBA trade deadline.

Right now, Wade has not decided if he will return for his 16th season. He is 36-years-old.

Li-Ning has many sports sponsorships, as they attempt to raise its profile around the world. The company previously had apparel deals with the Argentina national basketball team in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games and the 2012 Summer Olympic Games.

They also sponsored Finland national basketball team at the 2015 EuroBasket and the Malaysia national basketball team at the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship.

Presently, the company has sponsorship deals with football and basketball teams. They sponsor Tajikistan national football team in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

They also sponsor club teams Esteghlal F.C., Persepolis F.C., and Tractor Sazi F.C. in . They also sponsor C.F. Pachuca in Mexico.

NHRA names Booth Higgs show producer

By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
On January 13, 2017 at 12:30 pm EST

The National Hot Rod Association announced on Friday that Kymberly Booth Higgs has been named the NHRA show producer for the 2017 NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series on Fox and Fox Sports 1. She will also produce shows for the NHRA Lucas Oil Drag Racing Series and the J&A Service NHRA Pro Mod Drag Racing Series.

“I am excited to be a part of this incredibly talented crew of people, who are passionate about our sport,” Booth Higgs said. “Our challenge as a production team is to translate the unparalleled experience of being at an NHRA event to the fans at home. The drama, the pressure, the sound, the smell, the athletes under the helmets and under the hood — those are the stories we want to tell this year on the FOX broadcasts.”

She previously worked for NASCAR, Formula One, IndyCar, IMSA and TORC: Off-Road shows in the past two decades. She has also helped produce shows for the Olympic Games, Red Bull Snowboarding, X Games and the NCAA National Championships.

Booth Higgs is familiar with the NHRA racing, as her family has been involved in the NHRA Summit Racing Jr. Drag Racing League. Her family also has a ‘23 T-Altered.

She was previously the marketing and public relations manager for Patterson Racing, now Patterson Elite Performance. She also was the marketing and public relations manager for David Rampy, Winnebago Racing and Harold Stout in the late 1990s.

“At the core, I’m a racer, but after being a part of race teams that had to work hard to quality in a stacked Pro Stock field, or had close runner-up finishes in the Indianapolis 500, I decided to become a television producer,” she said. “In TV, we win every week.”

Booth Higgs presently resides in Las Vegas with her husband, U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Travis Higgs with their two daughters. After receiving degrees from Southwest Baptist University and the University of Dayton, she began her journey with the Lingner Group Productions.

“We are thrilled to have Kymberly join the NHRA team,” Ken Adelson, NHRA Vice-President, Executive Producer and Chief Content Officer, said. “Her wealth of television experience along with her drag racing background will help build on the momentum we built in 2016 and provide our new and longtime fans with ‘insiders’ coverage of the stories and racing action that make up the world’s fastest motorsport.”

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