UDC 339.138
DOI: 10.36871/ek.up.p.r.2025.12.07.029

Авторы

Pengfei Guo,
Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia (RUDN University), Moscow, Russia

Аннотация

In today’s digital media landscape, the way NBA superstars build their personal brands in China is changing in fundamental ways. This study uses LeBron James and Stephen Curry as two contrasting cases, examining how they shape and run their digital images in China from a multi-level perspective that includes the league, the players themselves, and Chinese fan communities. The analysis shows that James gradually constructs a more “elite” public identity, in part through his visible engagement with social issues, while Curry strengthens a more “approachable” persona by leaning on everyday, highly relatable stories. Both players make systematic use of the NBA’s interconnected social-media platforms to create different layers of interaction with Chinese fans. The study argues that effective branding in this context depends on co-creating content with fans, finding a workable balance between commercial interests and sporting values, and drawing on data analytics to reach specific fan segments. Future research can move further by comparing a broader set of players, looking more closely at platform algorithms, and tracing how fan subcultures in China continue to evolve over time.

Ключевые слова

NBA, digital media, fan engagement, personal branding, LeBron James, Stephen Curry

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