Update

Despite falling out of quarterfinals at worlds this year, Uzi still made esports history by being the first professional esports player to be endorsed by the brand, Nike. Despite their early departure from worlds, Uzi made several domestic and international performances that stunned the world with both Chinese LPL Championships and claiming the Mid Season Invitational, a first for the long playing ADC, now cementing him as one of the best players to come from the region.

Nike is commonly known for being a worldwide organization whose focus has been on providing apparel and equipment for celebrities and athletes alike and now they will step into unfamiliar territory for the brand by siding with a professional League of Legends player. Nike may not be the first sports endorsement to make it into the esports space but it is undeniable that Nike is among the biggest.

Now Jian “Uzi” Zihao will stand beside Chinese actor Bai Jingting and NBA player LeBron James for a campaign entitled “Dribble and” to promote James’ documentary series “Shut up and Dribble.” For Uzi’s shirt it features the word carry referring to the common esports term, specifically more used is MOBA’s where a player is able to lead to a team to victory seemingly by themselves. A term Uzi knows all too well being the Royal Never Give Up star ADC and considered to be one of the strongest players in the world. Royal Never Give Up has obtained several other sponsors this year, notably both KFC and Mercedes-Benz.

James was quoted saying the documentary series looks to give insight into “a powerful inside look at the changing role of athletes in our fraught cultural and political environment.” To have esports recognized in this change along with traditional sports is quite the topic with itself proving that esports have come quite a long way from being what people perceived a bunch of kids playing video games for money, and is now realized and fleshed out to be a well respected competition which many people put in similar hours and work to prove to be the best much like traditional sports athletes do.

The Future of Esports Sponsorships

Along with chinese actor, the reach in China will be fairly significant considering the large Chinese league player base and Uzi being one of the most recognizable players in League right next to Faker. It isn’t stated whether or not this is a one off deal and this will be Nike’s only esports endorsement, but the future for the growing industry with this move definitely looks bright. If proven to be successful this can be a gateway for other brands to dip their toes into the esports space and put more money to continue to grow the scene.