China’s pro basketball players are being forced to take off their Nikes and wear Chinese shoes instead

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Domestic players in the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) are being forced to wear sneakers[运动鞋;球鞋] made by local brand Li Ning in the new season, which kicked off[开始] last week—and some Nike-sponsored athletes are apparently not happy about it.

Behind the sneaker ban is the CBA’s exclusive kit deal[CBA联赛指定配套装备?]—which covers everything from jerseys[球衣] to shoes to socks—with Li Ning, the sportswear empire started by China’s former gymnastics champion[体操冠军] by the same name. While NBA players traditionally sign their own shoe deals, the CBA owns that right for every single Chinese athlete playing in it.

On Nov. 2, Yi Jianlian, who was recently waived[1] by the Los Angeles Lakers[洛杉矶湖人队] to rejoin his hometown team, Guangdong, made his debut[首次亮相;初次登台] in the new CBA season[CBA新赛季]. At the beginning of the second quarter[(比赛)第二节], Yi took off his Li Ning sneakers on the court and asked for a substitution, suggesting that he felt pain in his feet.

After the referees[裁判] refused to let him back in the game wearing Nike shoes, Yi went straight back to the locker room[更衣室] and only reappeared courtside[场边] in the late third quarter. This time, the referees let him in wearing shoes by his sponsor, Nike.

“I’m not saying Li Ning shoes are not good, they are a good company,” the 29-year-old power forward[大前锋] said in an after-match interview[赛后采访], “but my feet really hurt.” Yi explained that only the Nike shoes designed for him fit his feet well.

The sponsorship deal between Li Ning and the CBA, worth two billion yuan (around $300 million) over five years, ends at the end of this season. Previously, a limited number of Chinese players were allowed to wear other sponsors’ sneakers in the court, but only with logos covered up and after paying a fee. But the CBA has closed that loophole[2] in the new season, a move read by some as a way to impress Li Ning into extending their sponsorship.

The CBA announced on Nov. 3 that Yi will be suspended for one game[停赛一场], and the Guangdong team has been fined 50,000 yuan (around $7000), according to the league’s regulations[根据联赛规定].

Yi is not the first Nike-sponsored athlete to protest against the Chinese league’s decision. After their season openers, young centers[中锋] Zhou Qi and Wang Zhelin took to social media to denounce[谴责;指责;斥责] the sneaker ban. Zhou wrote on China’s Twitter-esque[3] service Weibo, “Why am I deprived of[失去;剥夺] the right to wear my own shoes?… I only sincerely hope that my feet can be protected in games.”

This article was updated with the CBA’s punishment of Yi and his team.

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注释

[1]waive：to not demand something you have a right to, or not cause a rule to be obeyed 放弃（权利）；不遵守（规则）

The bank manager waived the charge (= said we didn't have to pay), as we were old and valued customers.

那位银行经理没有收取我们的费用，因为我们是尊贵的老顾客。

If they waive (= remove) the time limit, many more applications will come in.

假如政府取消时间限制，那么就会收到多得多的申请。

He persuaded the delegates to waive (= give up) their objections.

他说服代表们不再反对。

[2]loophole：a small mistake in an agreement or law that gives someone the chance to avoid having to do something （协议或法律的）漏洞，空子，破绽

tax loopholes

税法的漏洞

The company employed lawyers to find loopholes in environmental protection laws.

该公司雇用律师来寻找环境保护法的漏洞。

[3]-esque：like or in the style of someone or their work 似…般的；…风格（或样式）的

Dalí-esque

达利风格的

Leonardo-esque

莱奥纳尔多（达‧芬奇）风格的

Working there was like being trapped in a Kafka-esque nightmare.

在那里工作就像是陷入了卡夫卡笔下的恶梦之中。

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相关背景

北京时间11月2日晚，2016-2017赛季CBA联赛第2轮，广东客场挑战深圳队的比赛中，易建联按照篮协要求换上了联赛指定赞助商的李宁球鞋，不过当比赛进入第二节时，阿联竟然在场上直接拖鞋后光脚走下球场，这一举动迅速在网上引起轩然大波。

第二节比赛开始不久，易建联在深圳队一次进攻之后，突然蹲下来解开鞋带，本以为他只是因为脚部不舒，想适当调整一下。不料阿联缺不紧不慢的解开了两只鞋的鞋带，并将鞋脱下后，扔在了篮下，然后光着脚走回了球员席。

这一幕出乎所有人意料，在本场比赛开打之前，耐克和李宁的球鞋风波就成为大家关注的焦点，包括周琦、李根、王哲林和可兰白克在内的4名球员已经因此被通报批评。据悉，篮协在新赛季开始前出台规定，为保证联赛装备赞助商的权益，CBA的国内球员必须穿赞助商李宁的球鞋参赛，外援可穿竞品装备但必须对LOGO贴标完全覆盖。

易建联则在赛后表示了对篮协和赞助商的理解，“很明白赞助商签了这样的合同，他们付了钱肯定会有这样的权益，这样的权益我们也必须要去配合，作为CBA球员我也努力在配合。但是，鞋合不合脚只有自己知道，我们打篮球，全部体重都在脚上，以后伤病也都集中在脚上。”易建联称在2010年的时候，因为穿错了一款鞋导致跟腱发言。

今日，易建联通过其微博发表道歉声明，易建联在声明中表示愿意接受处罚，对造成的不良和负面影响深感抱歉。

"由于当时脚的不适与痛感一度让我情绪起伏在场上做出的不适当行为，造成不良和负面的影响，在此深感抱歉，我们都应有责任去维护好我们自己的联赛，如有责罚，我愿接受，也会交托俱乐部继续与篮协继续沟通，希望球迷们和媒体继续关注比赛，关注我们的CBA。"

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