LA Clippers rookie Jawun Evans signs deal with Li-Ning

LA Clippers rookie Jawun Evans has made his first move in the NBA – signing an endorsement deal with Chinese performance company Li-Ning.

He’s just 21 years old, yet rookie point guard Jawun Evans is already living the high life. The young man officially announced his new deal with Chinese performance company Li-Ning on Instagram Wednesday night.

Although Li-Ning may not be a household name in the United States, it’s incredibly well-known overseas. In fact, according to Reuters, it’s China’s best-known domestic sports brand. Li-Ning is no stranger to the NBA, either. Former and current athletes include Shaquille O’Neal, Baron Davis, Evan Turner, and most notably, Dwyane Wade. Wade left Jordan Brand in 2012 to sign with Li-Ning, and now has several popular sneaker lines, including the “Way of Wade” models. One of his models is seen in Evans’ picture.

No details are known about the duration of Evans’ contract with the brand. For now, we can expect to see Evans exclusively in Li-Ning shoes and apparel, both on and off the court.

Evans was a second-round pick for the LA Clippers, and will likely spend most of his time with their G-League affiliate this season. However, he’s drawn comparisons to Chris Paul not only for his stature, but for his collegiate statistics as well. The Oklahoma State product averaged 19.2 points and 6.4 assists per game in his final season, all while posting a ridiculous 27.3 PER. If he pans out, he could end up being one of the biggest steals of this year’s draft class.